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Collection  de 
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Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Tachnical  and  Bibliographic  Notat/Notas  tachniquat  at  bibliograpliiquaa 


Tha  Instituta  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  bast 
original  copy  avaiiabia  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  Im  bibliographically  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagas  ir<  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  «;hanga 
tha  usual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chacUaid  balow. 


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Colourad  covars/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


nn   Covars  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagAa 

Covars  rastorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  rastaurte  at/ou  palliculAa 


I     I   Covar  titia  missing/ 


La  titra  da  couvartura  manque 


I      I   Colourad  maps/ 


Cartas  gAographlquas  an  coulaur 


Colourad  ink  (i.a.  othar  than  blua  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 


r~l   Colourad  platas  and/or  illustrations/ 


D 


Planchas  at/ou  illustrations  9n  coulaur 

Bound  with  othar  material/ 
RaliA  avac  d'autras  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr6e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  'a 
distortion  la  long  da  (n  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  sjoutAes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  la  taxte, 
mais.  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  At«  filmAas. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commenteires  suppl6mentaires; 


L'Institut  a  microf  limA  la  meilleur  exemplaira 
qu'il  iui  a  At4  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  d^ails 
da  cat  exemplaira  qui  sont  paut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographiqua,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  raproduite,  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modification  dans  la  mAthoda  normala  de  filmage 
sont  indiqute  ci-dassous. 


D 
D 
D 
D 
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n 

n 
0 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagAas 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurtes  at/ou  pellicultes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  dAcolorAes,  tachatAes  ou  piqutes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ditachies 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  in6gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  matiriel  supplAmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  ref limed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure. 
etc..  ont  At6  fiimAes  A  nouveau  de  fayon  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmi  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu*  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


/ 

□ 

12X 


16X 


aox 


a4x 


28X 


32X 


Th«  copy  filmad  h«r«  hat  b««n  r«producad  thanks 
to  tha  ganarotity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


L'axamplaira  film*  fut  raproduit  grica  A  la 
gAnAroaitA  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


Tha  imagaa  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacifications. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covars  ara  filmad 
baginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion.  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  original  copias  ara  filmad  baginning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion,  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illustratad  imprassion. 


Tha  last  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  — »■  (moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"!, or  tha  symbol  y  (moaning  "END"), 
whichavar  applies. 


Laa  imagaa  suivantaa  ont  At*  raproduitas  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin.  compta  tanu  da  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattat*  da  l'axamplaira  film*,  at  9n 
conformit*  avac  laa  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 

Las  axamplairas  originaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
papiar  ast  imprim*a  sont  film*s  an  commandant 
par  la  pramiar  plat  at  an  tarminant  soit  par  la 
darni*ra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d 'illustration,  soit  par  la  sacond 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  las  autras  axamplairas 
originaux  sont  film*s  an  commandant  par  la 
prami*ra  paga  qui  comporta  una 'amprainta 
d'imprassion  ou  d'illustration  at  an  tarminant  par 
la  darni*ra  paga  qui  comporta  una  talla 
amprainta. 

Un  das  symbolas  suivMnts  apparaitra  sur  la 
darni*ra  imaga  da  chaqua  microficha,  salon  la 
cas:  la  symbols  -^-  signifia  "A  SUIVRE",  la 
symbols  V  signifia  "FIN". 


Maps,  platas,  charts,  ate,  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  reduction  ratios.  Thosa  too  iarga  to  ba 
antiraly  included  in  ona  axposura  ara  filmad 
baginning  in  tha  uppar  laft  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  *tre 
film*s  *  des  taux  da  r*duction  diff*rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  *tre 
reproduit  en  un  soul  clich*,  il  est  film*  *  partir 
da  Tangle  sup*rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  *  droite. 
et  de  haut  en  bas.  an  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n*cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m*thode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

THE 


VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 

TIIK   SHIP  AND  ICE  JOURNALS 

OF 

GEORGE  W.  De  LONG, 

LIEUTEXANT-COMMANDER  U.  S.  N.,  AND  COMMANDER 
OF  THE  POLAR  EXPEDITION  OF  1879-1881. 

EDITED   nr  HI8  WIFE, 

EMMA  DeLONG, 

WITH   TWO  STEEL  PORTRAITS,  MAPS,  AND  MANV 
ILLUSTRATIONS  ON  WOOD  AND  STONE. 

IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 
VOL.   I. 


BOSTON: 
HOrOHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND   COMPANY 

New  York:  11  East  Seventeenth  Street 

Cj)e  UiattBiit  Preaa.  Cambrtiffc. 

1884. 


Copyright,  1888, 
By  EMMA  Dl  IX)NG  and  IlOUflUTON,  MIFKLIN  &  C(X 


All  rights  reserved. 


Uk«  RverSKie  P-ess,  Cambridge. 
£lectrot}  ped  ao'i  Prioicu  by  U.  0.  Houghton  <&  Ca 


PREFACE. 


In  the  preparation  of  this  volume  the  editor  has 
availed  herself  first,  of  the  private  papers  of  Lieutenant- 
Commander  De  Long,  and  her  own  recollection  and 
notes ;  and  secondly,  of  the  testimony  given  in  pubUc 
and  private  by  the  survivors  of  the  Jeannette.  It 
seemed  right,  in  a  work  which  is  essentially  a  tribute 
to  human  worth,  to  introduce  the  narrative  with  a 
brief  biographical  sketch  of  the  commander  of  the  ex- 
pedition up  to  the  inception  of  the  undertaking,  with 
special  reference  to  the  qualities  of  character  and  edu- 
cation of  circumstances  which  led  directly  to  his  pro- 
posal of  an  Arctic  expedition.  The  preparations  for 
the  voyage  continue  this  personal  sketch,  as  well  as 
put  the  reader  in  possession  of  all  necessary  facts  re- 
lating to  the  plans  of  the  projectors  and  the  measures 
taken  to  ensure  success. 

So  much  was  requisite  as  an  introduction  to  the  nar- 
rative itself.  For  that  recourse  was  had  to  the  letters 
written  by  Lieutenant-Commander  De  Long  after  leav- 
ing San  Francisco,  and  before  dismissing  the  consort 
which  accompanied  the  Jeannette  to  St.  Lawrence  Bay ; 
to  the  private  journal  which  he  kept  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  voyage  to  the  sinking  of  the  ship,  and  to 
the  two  small  journals  in  which  he  recorded  the  for- 
tunes of  the  expedition  after  the  ship  was  abandoned. 


202917 


iv 


PREFACE. 


In  preparing  the  closing  chaptern  of  tho  work,  tho 
testiinoiiies  given  by  the  survivors  have  been  carefully 
compared  and  made  the  basis  for  a  consecutive  narra- 
tive which  should  complete  the  history  of  the  expe- 
dition. 

The  illustrations  have  been  studied  with  great  care. 
The  smaller  ones  in  the  text  have  been  reproduced 
from  diagrams  and  sketches  made  in  the  journals,  by 
Mr.  Newcomb,  the  naturalist  of  the  party,  and  by  Cap- 
tain Gronbeck  of  the  Lena ;  the  larger  ones  have  been 
from  the  hand  of  Mr.  M.  J.  Burns,  whose  expeii  nice 
in  the  Arctic  had  given  him  special  facility  for  making 
truthful  renderings,  and  his  work  has  been  carefully 
examined  and  approved  by  olKcers  of  the  expedition. 
The  portraits  have  been  taken  from  the  best  sources. 
That  of  Lieutenant-Commander  De  Long  is  from  a 
painting  by  Mr.  E.  W.  Perry ;  that  of  Mr.  Bennett  was 
engraved  for  this  work ;  and  those  of  the  ofhcers  and 
other  members  of  the  expedition  are  from  the  best 
photographs  obtainable.  The  frontispiece  of  the  sec- 
ond volume  is  from  a  drawing  made  on  the  sjjot  by 
Mr.  A.  Larsen.  The  maps  were  drawn  for  the  work, 
with  the  exception  of  that  descriptive  of  the  route  of 
the  Little  Juniata,  which  is  a  reduction  of  the  govern- 
ment map  in  the  "  Voyage  of  the  Polaris." 

The  scientific  results  of  the  expedition  are  only  par- 
tially recorded  in  the  text  of  the  work  and  in  papers 
included  in  the  Appendix.  The  government  will 
hereafter  issue  the  notes  of  the  naturalist,  the  meteoro- 
logical  observations,   and   the   electrical    and   auroral 


PREFACE.  T 

observations   of   Lieutenant   Chipp,   and    it  has   been 

thought  advisable,  therefore,  to  omit  them  from  this 
work. 

The  thanks  of  the  editor  are  due  to  Mr.  James  Gor- 
don Bennett  for  his  constant  sympathy,  interest,  and 
aid  ;  to  Chief-Engineer  Melville  for  his  frequent  assist- 
ance and  special  contributions  ;  to  the  other  survivors 
of  the  Jeannette  for  their  cheerful  and  ready  response 
to  all  requests  for  information;  to  Colonel  W.  B. 
Eemey,  Judge  Advocate  General  U.  S.  N.,  and  Lieu- 
tenant W.  H.  Jaques,  U.  S.  N.  Finally,  the  editor  de- 
su-es  to  acknowledge  gratefully  the  consideration  and 
kmdness  which  her  work  has  met  with  from  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy  and  other  members  of  the  Depart- 
ment at  Washington. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   COMMANDER   OF   THE    Fi:ri:DITrOK. 

Parentage  and  Birth.  -  Early  Influences  and  S.  r,  .undiixTg.  — School 
Life. -The  Choieo  of  a  Profession.  _  In  tlie  Law  OIHce  of  Hon. 
John  Oalcey.-  Forces  his  Way  into  the  ?'cval  .\.ademy.-.  A  Mi  J- 
shipman  who  dispenses  witli  Red  Tape  ~ Death  of  hi-,  i>arents  _ 
Marriage  under  Difficulties.  _  Proa.otion.  _  ()„  the  Juniata.^ 
Commanding  the  Little  Juniata.  -  A  Perilous  boat  Journey. -His 
Recollection  of  his  Experience.  -  The  Arctic  Fever.  -  Powers  of 
i-ndurance.  -Tempentment.  -Frolics.  -  His  D.-alings  with  Men. 
—  lesUmony  of  an  Associate 


CHAPTER  n. 

PREPARATIONS    FOR   THE    EXPEDITION. 

Conrersation  With  Mr.  Grinnell.  _  Proposal  to  Mr.  Bennett. -Mr. 
Bennetts  Response.  -  Delay  in  Plans.  -  Search  for  a  Suitable 
Vessel  _  Purchase  of  the  Pandora.  -  Sket.h  of  Operations.- 
Dr.  Petermann  s  Views.  _  Lieutenant  De  Long  repairs  to  England. 
-Balloon  Ascensions. -The  Pandora  renan.e.l  The  Jeannette. 
-Lieutenant  Danenhower  joins  the  Ship. -The  Voyac^e  to  San 
irancsco.- Action  of  Congress.  -  Survey  of  the  Ship! -Inter- 
view  with  Secretary  of  the  Navy. -Alterations  of  the  Jeannette. 
-Consulerations  of  Econou.y.  -  Captain  De  Long's  Labors.- 
-Or  r'T'  1  .'  P-^f)'--The  Crew.- Advice  fron.  Outsiders. 
-  Orders  for  the  Expedition.  _  Mr.  Bennett's  Farewell.  -  OuUock 


43 


CHAPTER  in. 

FROM   8AN   FRANCISCO    TO   ST.    LAWRENCE   BAT. 
8  July  —  27  August,  1879. 

^^f*r.'"7'^^  Escort. -The  Company.  -  Ounalaska  Wand.« 
lae  Alaska  Company.  -  Letter  to  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  — Gen. 


Vlll 


CONTENTS. 


•M'osity  of  the  Company  ami  its  A'^ont.  —  St.  Miohaers.  —  No 
Tidings  of  XonU'iisicjold.  —  The  Officers  of  the  Jeaimette. —  Ar- 
rival of  the  SchooiuT  I  ;;i>ny  A.  Hyde.  —  Tlie  Character  of  the 
Crew.  —  Tlie  Arctic  Stores  of  Clothing  aiKl  Provisions.  —  Tlie  In- 
terpreters.—  Off  for  St.  Lawrence  Hay. — Tlie  Dogs. — St.  Law- 
rence Bay.  —  Tlie  Chief  (icorge  and  his  Story  about  a  Shi]>. — 
Lutke's  Island. — The  Last  of  Civilization 


76 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DRIFTING    IN    ICE    OFF    HH:UALD    ISLAND. 

27  August— 30  September,  1879. 

Tlirough  Behring  Strait.  —  Cape  Serdze  Kanien.  —  A  Letter  loff  for 
Nordenskjold.  —  Chief  George.  —  Koliiitchin  Bay.  —  Definite  Tid- 
ings of  the  Vega.  —  Coasting  an  Ice-Pack.  —  Herald  Island  sighted. 
—  (Grinding  through  the  Ice.  —  The  Rudder  unshipped.  —  Setting 
Bear-Traps. —  A  Sledge-Party  toward  Herald  Island. — Return  of 
the  Party.  —  A  Bear-Chase.  —  Herald  Islantl  Disappearing.  —  Ex- 
periments to  determine  the  Air  breathed  on  the  Berth  Deck.  —  Con- 
sumption of  Coal.  —  The  Drift  Ice.  —  An  Electric  Phenomenon. — 
Bilb  ut  Tare.  —  Daily  Routine 104 


CHAPTER  V. 

FAST    IN    THK    ICE. 

October  —  November,  1879. 

Reappearance  of  Herald  Island.  —  Condition  of  the  Quarters. —  Ross's 
Gull.  — Moisture  between  Decks.  —  New  Land  in  Sight. —  Winter 
Routine.  —  A  Beautiful  Night.  —  Doctor  Ambler's  Dream.  —  Cracks 
in  the  Ice.  —  The  Noises  of  Ice  Cracking.  —  The  Grinding.  —  Clear 
Water  on  the  I'ort  Side.  —  Necessity  and  Anxiety.  — The  Dogs.  — 
Disappearance  of  the  Sun.  —  Adrift  from  the  Floe.  —  Distilled 
Water.  —  Arctic  Beauty 147 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    DEAD    OF    WINTER. 

December,  1879 —  26  January,  1880. 

Auroral  Displays.  —  Daily  Walks.  —  Trouble  with  Water.  —  The 
Darkness.  —  Monotony  of  Life  in  the  Arctic.  —  Tests  of  Light.  — 
Discomfort.  —  The  Shortest  Day.  —  Christmas.  —  Tidal  Action.  — 


CONTENTS. 


IX 


The  Old  Year  and  tbe  New.  _  Festivities.  _  Danenhower's  Mis- 
fortune -A  Cold  S„ap.  -  A  Leak.  _  Serious  Business  to  close  it. 
—  IbuFumps.  — Reappearance  of  the  Sun jgg 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE    RKTUKX    OK    DAYLIGHT. 

27  Jan uanj  —  March ,  1880. 

The  Pressure  on  the  Ship.- Di„,inution  of  the  Leak.  -  Lunar 
Halos  -  Bears  and  Bear  Meat.  -  Engineering  Contrivances. - 
The  Atnount  of  Salt  ,n  Ice.  -  Experience  of  Weyprecht  an.l  Morse. 
-Condition  of  the  Do^s.  -  Foreho.Iings.  _  Observation  under 
D,lhc.,lty.-AVaslun<,ton's  Birthday.  -  Protection  for  the  Eves  _ 
(  heerfulness  of  the  Crew.  -  The  Thernionieters.  _  Da.na.e  "to  the 
Ship.  -  Trench  D.^.ginjr.- Soundings  and  Drift.  -  Fresh  Potatoes. 

-  An  Auroral  Display.  -  Exan.iuation  of  Dr.  Kane's  and  Dr.  W-,lk- 
er  s  Statements  of  the  Presence  of  Salt  in  Ice.-  St.  Patrick's  Dav 

—  Ice  Formation        .        . 


232 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

UNDER    THK    MIDNUiHr    SUN. 

April  —  May,  1880. 

Change  of  Routine.  —  Saving  Fuel.  —  Driving  a  Dog  Team.  —  A 
New  Resource.  —Birds.— Dampness  and  Cold.  — Canned  Food  — 
Completion  of  a  Windmill.  —  Winter  Lingering  in  the  Lap  of 
Spring. —Pemmican.  — Wasting  of  the  he-Field.  —  Drift- Wood. 
-Walrus. -Distant  Land. -A  Deep  Hole.  — Sunshine  at  Mid- 
night. —  Target  Shooting.— Pure  Water.— Bears  and  Birds  — 
Gloomy  Weather.— Habits  of  the  Dogs.— Th,.  Crew's  Quarters  — 
Danenhower's  Condition.  —  The  Ice  as  a  Sledge-Road.  -  Bear 
Hunts. -The  Sick  List.  — Patience  an-l  Dullness.-  Discoura.Mn.r 
Outlook.  -  Sledging.  -  New  Leaks.  -  Looking  for  Release      .  "    "  304 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A    FROZEN    SUMMER. 

June  —  Aiif/ust,  I.SHO. 

^Aliich  Way  does  the  Ice  go?  —  Appearance  of  Insanity.  —  A  Fall  of 
Ham.  —  Danenhower's  Case.  —  Bad  Walkinjr.—  Mosquitoes  —  A 
Day's    Recor.1.  -  Lanes   of    Water.  -  The   First  Punishment.  — 


"^  CONTENTS. 

Stoppage  of  the  Leak.  -  Melting  of  the  Surrounding  Ice. -The 
Ship  m  an  I.land  of  Ice.  _  Thickness  of  Ice.  -  Punishment  of 
Dogs.  Irksojneness  of  Confinement.  -  Accident  to  Al^e;^!. 
Ihe  Height  of  Sun.mer  and  the  Depth  of  Discoura<.ement  -The 
Resolution  of  the  Company.  -  Fog  and  its  Effect  o„l     -^  Sp.^ 

-  Sudden  Encounter  with  a  Bear.  -  Getting  at  the  Propell.    _  A 
Party  of  Bears.  -  Crin.son  Snow.  -  A  Hopeless  Outlook 


371 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTEATIONS. 

VOLUME  L 


ENGRAVINGS  ON  STEEL. 


PAGE 


PouTRAiT  OF  Geobge  Washinotox  Dk  Lono.    Engraved  by  J.  A.  J 
W  ileox,  after  a  Portrait  by  E.  Wood  Perry  i,  ■ 

PouTKAiT  or  James  Gordon  Bennett.     Engraved  bv  f't  tr?^''" 
after  a  recent  Photograph  .  ^^ngravea  byb.T.  Stuart, 

44 


ENGRAVINGS  ON  WOOD. 


PLATES. 

The  Adventure  ,n  the  Little  Juniata.    From  a  Design  by  M.  J 
Burns.     Engraved  by  George  T.  Andrew  .         .  6      ym.o. 

Ul'ERNAVIK     .  '  •  ■  •  .      23 

A  FiOHT  AMONO  THE  DoGs.     Prom  a  Design  by  M.' J.  Burns.     Fn:  ''' 

graved  by  George  T.  Andrew  . 
RKT.RXIXO  PROM  A  Beak  Hunt.     F;om  a  Design  by  M.  J.  Burns"  "^^ 

Engraved  by  George  T.  Andrew 

303 


VIGNETTES. 
Arctic  Steamer  Jeannette 

Portrait  oe  Chas.  W.  Chipp.     With  Autograph  * 
Portrait  OE    John  W  Daxenhower.    With  Autograph 

Portrait  of  J.  M.  Ambler,  M.  D  ■  ^ 

Portrait  OF  George  W.  Melville  "        '  ' 

Portrait  of  Jerome  J.  Collins  *        *  ' 

OUNALASKA    .  .  '  '  '  ' 


Title  Page. 

.  16 

.  52 

.  03 

•  64 

.  66 

.  69 

.  72 

.  84 


x'l  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGB 

St.  Michael's 89 

Nativk  Tattooing,  St.  Lawrence  Bay 97 

Bone  Pipe 99 

Native's  Lamp 100 

Bone  Harpoon  Heads 101 

Native's  Knife  of  Bone 102 

Bone  Shovel,  Front  View 103 

Bone  Shovel,  Side  View 103 

Seals 127 

Walrus 146 

■Ross's  Guli, 152 

A  Peculiar  Ice  Form 204 

A  Quarrel  over  a  Meat  Can 214 

The  Ivory  Gull 231 

A  Polar  Bear 2G4 

Watching  for  Seals 2()8 

The  Black  Guillemot 340 


MAPS,  CHARTS,  AND  DIAGRAMS. 

Cilart  showino  the  Tracks  of  the  U.  S.  S.  .Iuniata  and  Little 
Juniata,  while  in  Search  of  the  Polaris        .        .        .        .29 

Cross  Section  of  the  Jeannette 59 

Positions  t.\ken  by  the  Jeannette  while  drifting  Ice-Bound 

BY  Wrangel  Island IGl 

Position  of  the  Jeannette  in  the  Pack,  January  24, 1880  .  228 
Sketch  showing  how  the  Ceiling  was  crushed  ....  275 
CiRCUMPOLAR   Map,  showing   the   Highest   Point   reached   by 

different  Navigators.  From  the  latest  Authorities.  Facing  page  318 
Position  of  the  Ship  when  the  Ice  was  sawed  ....  129 
Track  Chart  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Jeannette,  Lieut.-Comm.  George 
W.  De  Long,  from  San  Francisco  up  to  the  Sinking  of  the 
Ship;  TtxjETiiER  with  the  Route  followed  by  the  Officers 
and  Crew  in  their  Escape  over  the  Ice  to  the  Siberian 
Coast In  Pocket, 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE   COMMANDER   OF   THE   EXPEDITION. 


Paientao'e  and  Birth.  —  Early  Influences  and  Surroundings.  —  School 
Lite. —  The  Choice  of  a  Profession.  —  In  the  Law  OUicc  of  Hon. 
John  Oalvoy.  —  Forces  his  Way  into  the  Naval  Academy.  — A  Mid- 
sliijiraau  who  dispenses  with  Red  Tape.  —  Death  of  his  Parents.  — 
lMarria'1'e  under  Difficulties.  —  Promotion.  —  On  the  Juniata.  — 
Commaudiuff  the  Little  Juniata. —  A  Perilous  Boat  Journev.  —  His 
Recollection  of  his  Experience.  —  The  Arctic  Fever.  —  Powers  of 
EiKhuancc.  —  Temperament.  —  Frolics.  —  Mis  Dealings  with  Men. 
—  Testimony  of  an  Associate. 

George  Washington  De  Long  was  born  in  the  city 
of  Now  York,  August  22,  1844,  of  a  family  of  Hugue- 
not descent.  His  parents,  who  moved  to  Brooklyn 
when  he  was  four  years  old,  had  no  other  child,  but 
they  had  adopted  a  niece  of  his  mother's,  who  was  his 
principal  playmate.  His  childhood  was  one  of  great 
seclusion.  His  mother,  especially,  was  almost  morbidly 
solicitous  for  him,  so  that  he  was  jealously  guarded 
fro,  itdoor  influences,  and  restrained  from  the  ordi- 
nary sports  of  boyhood.  The  world  seemed  to  the 
anxious  mother  full  of  perils  for  lier  boy,  and  she  was 
unwilling  that  he  should  meet  them  in  the  near  pur- 
suits of  swimming,  boating,  and  skating.     Home  was 

made  bright  and  happy,  and  every  innocent  and  safe 
1 


2         THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 

pleasure  granted  him,  not  only  out  of  parental  love, 
but  with  tlie  constant  purpose  to  siiield  him  from  dan- 
ger and  accident.  His  father  was  of  an  easy  temper, 
who  interfered  but  little  with  his  education,  only  exact- 
ing strict  obedience. 

It  was  not  hard  for  the  Ijoy  to  give  this  obedience, 
for  the  conuuands  of  the  mother  were  never  direct  but 
through  the  subtler  intluence  of  a  strong  maternal  love, 
and  the  disposition  of  the  boy  was  one  of  generosity 
and  docility,  lie  was  a  hard  student,  thorough  in  his 
application  to  books,  and  faithful  to  his  school  work. 
His  spirit  and  energy,  hemmed  in  upon  the  adventur- 
ous side,  found  exercise  in  an  intellectual  ardor,  and  he 
was  a  fiery  little  orator  and  writer.  Nevertheless,  and 
it  may  be  because  of  the  repression  to  which  he  was 
so  constantly  subjected,  he  was  restless  and  filled  with 
an  uneasy  desire  for  larger  liberty. 

When  he  was  eleven  or  twelve  years  of  age  he  fell 
in  with  some  tales  of  naval  exploits  of  the  War  of 
1812,  which  recounted  the  heroism  of  young  midship- 
men. Porter  and  Farragut  being  especially  named,  and 
his  ambition  was  kindled  to  make  as  great  a  reputation 
for  himself  in  the  same  profession.  Shortly  after,  in 
1857,  he  was  selected  as  a  candidate,  from  the  ])ubliG 
school  which  he  attended,  for  an  appointment  to  the 
Naval  Acndemy,  I)ut  his  parents  refused  their  consent, 
to  his  bitter  disappointment.  They  had  other  plans  for 
him,  and  proposed  to  enter  him  at  the  Free  Academy, 
now  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  when  an 
accident  occurred  which  led  to  a  clian<re  in  his  life. 
On  one  of  those  straight  marches  home  from  school 
which  parental  law  had  made  a.  part  of  the  routine  of 
his  life,  he  was  the  mark  for  a  party  of  his  companions 
who  shot  their  snow  and  ice  balls  at  the  exclusive  little 


I  love, 

n  dan- 

emper, 

exact- 

dience, 
ect  but 
al  love, 
lerosity 
I  in  his 
1  work, 
iventur- 
,  and  he 
ess,  and 
he  was 
led  with 

!  he  fell 
War  of 

midship- 
lied,  and 
piitation 
lifter,  in 
iu  public 
to  the 
consent, 
klans  for 
iademy, 
['hen   an 
(his  life, 
school 
lutine  of 
ipanions 
Ivo  little 


THE  COMMANDER  OF   THE  EXPEDITION.  3 

De  Lono".  A  blow  on  the  ear  caused  an  injury  which 
required  two  or  three  months'  detention  in  the  house 
under  the  doctor's  care,  and  in  this  enforced  leisure  the 
boy  and  his  mother  discussed  his  future  career.  She 
crave  him  the  choice  of  beluf^  a  doctor,  a  priest,  or  a 
lawyer,  and  of  the  three  professions  that  of  doctor 
yeuied  to  open  the  largest  promise  of  activity.  At  any 
rate,  when  the  boy  had  recovered  he  proposed  to  find 
out  something  about  the  life  before  he  prepared  for  it, 
and  so  engaged  himself  with  his  friend  who  had  been 
treating  him,  and  stayed  with  him  several  months. 

A  familiarity  with  the  outside  of  a  doctor's  life  and 
an  attendance  upon  a  few  painful  operations  satisfied 
George  De  Long  that  he  had  no  aptitude  for  this  pro- 
fession, and  he  found  little  diUioulty  in  lu'inging  his 
mother  to  his  way  of  thinking,  when  he  unfolded  to 
her  the  incessant  risks  which  a  doctor  ran  of  contract- 
ing a  great  variety  of  contagious  diseases.  The  next 
profession  was  that  of  divinity,  and  his  mother  was 
m-geut  that  he  should  study  for  orders;  but  without 
going  through  any  prelimin;uy  experimenting  with  the 
life  of  a  priest,  the  boy  resorted  to  the  argument  which 
had  already  served  him  well,  and  drew  such  a  picture 
of  the  privations  and  hardships  of  a  priest's  life,  and 
the  dangers  to  which  he  was  exposed  in  his  contact 
with  the  sick  and  the  dying,  that  he  succeeded  in  dim- 
ming for  his  mother  the  bi-ighter  spectacle  of  a  possible 
cardinal,  and  in  securing  a  reprieve  for  himself. 

The  arguments  which  he  employed  were  the  inge- 
nuities by  which  he  persuaded  his  mother;  they  were 
nut  the  convictions  which  moved  him.  He  had  a  reso- 
lute, courageous  spirit,  which  impelled  him  to  a  life  of 
free  activity ;  but  he  had  also  the  fine  spirit  of  obe- 
dience and  loyalty,  which  forbade  him  to  break  away 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


from  the  restraints  of  home,  and  roughly  rebel  against 
the  authority  of  love.  Meanwhile  he  amused  himself 
with  books,  the  friends  which  his  secluded  life  had 
given  him,  and  spent  day  after  day  at  the  Mercantile 
Library,  where  he  read  voraciously,  feasting  especially 
upon  books  of  adventure  and  travel.  He  attached 
himself  to  the  librarian,  helped  him  about  his  duties, 
and  even  fdled  the  office  for  a  few  months  during  an 
interregnum.  His  restlessness  was  not  satisfied,  but 
was  stimulated  by  his  reading,  and  Captain  Marryat 
and  other  seductive  mariners  ai^ain  gave  him  an  almost 
uncontrollable  lono;ini>'  for  the  sea. 

He  was  still,  however,  an  obedient  son,  and  when 
his  parents  refused  to  yield  to  his  wishes,  he  yielded 
to  theirs,  and  entered  the  law  office  of  the  Hon.  John 
Oakey,  who  became  warmly  attached  to  the  boy  and 
placed  great  confidence  in  him.  It  was  shortly  before 
the  breaking  out  of  the  War  for  the  Union,  and  upon 
Mr.  Oakey's  entering  the  service,  George  begged  hard 
to  accompany  his  friend,  and  urged  him  to  use  his 
inlluence  in  persuading  the  inflexible  parents.  Mr. 
Oakey  did  indeed  urge  them  to  let  the  boy  go,  telling 
them  that  a  little  rough  experience  would  curb  his 
restless  and  ambitious  spirit,  and  make  him  more  will- 
ing upon  his  return  to  remain  at  home  the  rest  of  his 
days,  —  a  well-worn  line  of  reasoning  which  often  has 
an  uncommon  likeness  to  good  sense. 

It  may  readily  be  believed  that  the  perils  of  army 
life  would  scarcely  affect  the  imagination  less  than 
those  belonging  to  a  learned  profession,  and  neither  the 
boy  nor  Mr.  Oakey  could  carry  the  day.  This  inces- 
sant friction,  however,  began  to  produce  its  result,  and 
it  is  not  unlikely  that  as  George's  ardor  was  increased 
by  his  sense  of  national  danger,  so  his  parents'  will  was 


THE  COMMANDER   OF  THE  EXrEDI'I  ION. 


5 


upon 
I  hard 
his 
Mr. 
ling 
•b  his 
will- 
lof  his 
fn  has 

army 

than 

|er  the 

1  inces- 

|t,  and 

[•eased 
111  was 


Aveakened  by  tlie  contagion  of  spirit  in  the  cominnnity. 
A  place  in  the  army  had  been  denied  the  boy,  and  he 
turned  again  with  redoubled  zeal  to  his  first  love,  the 
navy.  He  went  to  his  father  and  said  :  "  1  want  to  go 
to  tliC  Naval  Academy.  You  say  you  will  not  assist 
me  ;  but  if  I  obtain  an  appointment  myself,  will  you 
o-ive  me  vour  consent  and  allow  me  to  enter  ?  "  His 
father  laughed  at  what  he  thought  was  his  hopeless 
determination,  and  answered,  '•  Very  well,  if  you  can 
accomplish  such  a  feat,  I  will  make  no  further  ol)jec- 
tion,"  aud  his  mother  also  gave  her  consent  to  what 
she  imagined  to  be  impracticable. 

With  this  perfunctory  sort  of  permission  the  boy 
went  to  work  with  a  will.  He  wrote  to  Washington 
for  the  necessary  information  regarding  candidates,  and 
then  applied  to  know  if  there  were  any  vacancy  to  be 
filled  by  an  appointment  from  the  Third  Congressional 
District,  represented  at  the  time  by  Hon.  Benjamin 
Wood.  The  Department  replied  that  there  was  no 
vacancy,  that  gentleman  having  made  his  appointment. 
George  meanwhile  had  enlisted  the  aid  of  his  friend 
Mr.  Oakey,  who  went  at  his  request  to  Mr.  Wood  and 
urged  the  boy's  name,  and  of  Father,  now  Vicar  Gen- 
eral. Quinn,  who  was  Mrs.  De  Long's  spiritual  adviser. 
Father  Quinn  knew  the  boy  well  and  was  ready  to  help 
him.  He  also  went  to  Mr.  Wood  and  easily  proved 
himself  a  powerful  ally.  It  must  be  said,  however, 
that  there  was  no  influence  quite  so  effective  as  the 
boy's  indomitable  will.  He  learned  suddenly  that  a 
cadet  who  had  been  appointed  by  Mr.  Wood  had  been 
obliged  to  leave  the  Academy  from  some  affection  of 
the  eyes.  This  was  his  opportunity,  and  he  gave  no 
oue  any  rest  till  he  received  the  appointni'^nt,  when 
he  went  to  Newport,  where  the  Academy  was  then  sta- 
tioned, and  passed  his  examination. 


6 


TIIK    VOYAdI-:   OF   TIIK  .FKANNKTTE. 


Just  at  tills  jiinoturo  the  olHetM's  at  the  Aoadcmv  re- 
ceivc'd  a  clispatcli  Irom  Mr.  Welles,  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  :  ••  Do  not  accept  Mr.  Wood's  a|)pointee  for  the 
navy."  Back  to  New  Vork  rushed  I)e  Long  and  de- 
manded ol'  Mr.  Wood  the  reason  tor  the  dispatch. 
Mr.  Wood  showed  him  a  letter  from  the  Secretary,  hy 
which  it  appeared  that  the  nomination  of  I)e  Lon<^  had 
been  delayed,  and  that  tlie  cadet  whose  place  he  was  to 
fill  had  recovered  his  health  and  been  reinstated.  "  So 
that  ends  the  matter,"  said  Mr.  Wood  ;  hut  it  did  not 
at  all  end  it  in  De  Long's  mind.  He  hurst  into  a  vig- 
orous invective  against  the  Department.  It  was  all 
wrong.  Mr.  Wood  liad  been  im])osed  upon.  It  was 
because  he  was  a  Democrat  that  this  injustice  had  been 
done,  and  the  Republican  Secretary  was  depriving  the 
Congressman  of  his  rights.  Me  ought  not  to  stand 
such  treatment  an  hour.  Mr.  Wood  was  amused  and 
moved  by  the  zeal  of  the  young  advocate,  and  finally 
said  :  — 

"  Do  you  sit  down,  Mr,  De  Long,  and  write  what  you 
want  to  the  Secretary.  I  will  sign  the  letter,  and  you 
can  take  it  to  Washington  yourself  if  you  like." 

The  letter  was  written  and  De  Long  set  off  at  once 
to  Washington.  It  was  in  the  fall  of  18G1,  when  the 
trains  were  packed  with  soldiers,  and  the  boy  had  to 
stand  all  the  way  from  Philadelphia  to  Washington. 
He  reached  the  city  at  six  in  the  morning,  and  as  soon 
as  he  could  get  something  to  eat,  presented  himself  at 
the  door  of  the  Secretary's  office,  and  was  ready  when 
the  hour  came  for  business.  He  enters:!  and  handed 
Mr.  Wood's  letter  to  the  Secretary.  Mr.  De  Long  often 
enjoyed  telling  of  that  interview ;  how  he  watched  the 
various  expressions  of  Mr.  Gideon  Welles's  face  as  he 
read  the  tempestuous  letter,  which  the  boy  had  written. 


THE  COMMANDKK   OF   TIIK   LXrKDlTION.  7 

When  tliu  Secietiiry  liiiislied,  he  puslied  iiin  spcotacleM 
up  and  looked  at  his  visitor. 

"  And  you  are  Mr.  Do  Lon<^,  are  you  ?  Weil,  well, 
this' is  a  very  stnin^^e  state  of  alfairs.  Mr.  Wood  sconis 
very  much  excited  ;  but  he  is  laboring  muler  a  delu- 
sion. We  have  no  intention  of  .slighting  him  in  any 
wav.  You  can  return  to  the  Academy.  1  will  give 
the  necessary  orders  for  your  reception  there,  and 
please  say  to  Mr.  Wood  that  he  shall  not  be  deprived 
even  of  his  imaginary  rigiit." 

80  it  happened  tiiat  there  were  three  cadets  from  the 
Third  Congressional  District  this  time,  and  one  of  them, 
who  had  won  his  position  by  sheer  persistence,  was  en- 
tirely satisfied  with  the  state  of  alfairs.  He  applied 
hiiuseU"  vigorously  to  the  work  of  the  Academy,  and 
was  graduated  with  distinction  in  18G5,  just  as  the  war 
came  to  a  close. 

He  received  his  first  orders  for  sea  duty  in  November 
of  that  year,  when  he  was  ordered  to  Boston  to  report 
to  Admira'  Stringham  for  duty  on  board  the  U.  S. 
Steamer  Canandaigua.  Upon  arrival  at  the  navy  yard 
he  went  at  once  to  the  vessel  to  inspect  his  quarters. 
He  looked  all  over  the  ship,  and  finally  entered  the 
steerage  where  he  was  to  spend  the  next  two  years. 
He  inspected  it  very  thoroughly  and  found  that  there 
were  but  two  berths  in  it,  while  it  was  to  be  occupied 
by  four  midshipmen;  two  therefore,  it  was  plain,  would 
have  to  swing  in  hammocks.  This  was  not  at  all  ac- 
cording to  his  views  of  what  was  proper,  and  off  he 
set  to  see  the  admiral  about  it,  and  have  the  matter 
righted.  On  his  way  across  the  yard,  he  met  some 
olhcers  who  asked  him  where  he  was  going.  He  told 
his  errand,  and  they  at  once  approved  it  in  tlie  most 
emphatic  manner. 


8 


THE   V<)VA(iK   OF    IHK  .IKANNK TTE. 


"  That  'h  rl«,'ht !  "  tlioy  siiid.  '•  The  lljing  nhoultl  bo  at- 
tended to.  Just  s})eak  to  the  admiral  positively  about 
it;  and  you  '11  get  what  you  want." 

The  young  midshipnian  was  shown  into  the  ollico  of 
Admiral  Stringham,  an  erect  gentleman  with  white 
hair,  and  sharp  black  eyes,  who  sat  at  his  desk  writ- 
ing. His  visitor  advanced  toward  him,  cap  in  hand, 
and  said  :  — 

"  Admiral,  I  am  Midshipman  De  Long  of  the  U.  S. 
Steamer  Canandaigua.  .Sir,  1  have  been  iuspe(!ting  my 
quarters  on  board,  and  1  iind  only  two  bunks  in  the 
steerage  for  four  midshipmen.  1  came,  sir,  to  ask  you 
to  have  two  more  berths  put  in  before  we  start  for 
sea. 

The  admiral  looked  np  quickly  and  said  :  "  So  you 
are  Midshipman  De  Long  of  the  U.  S.  Steamer  Canan- 
daigua V  " 

^'Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  Midshipman  De  Long  of  the  U.  S.  Steamer 
Canandaigua,  I  advise  you  to  return  on  board  the  U.  S. 
Steamer  Canandaigua,  and  consider  yourself  very  happy 
that  you  have  any  bunks  at  all  in  the  steerage." 

The  admiral  was  better  than  his  word,  however.  His 
amusement  'svas  greater  than  his  amazement,  and  lie 
ordered  the  additional  ])unks  to  be  made.  Years  after- 
ward he  met  again  the  innocent  and  resolute  midship- 
man and  laiighed  heartily  ov  ;r  their  first  encounter. 

The  cruis  of  the  Canandaigua  was  along  the  western 
coast  of  Eu  pe  and  Africa  and  in  the  Mediterranean, 
and  was  a  li.  le  over  three  years  in  duration.  Mr.  De 
Long  was  pi  noted  successively  to  be  ensign  and  mas- 
ter, and,  she  tly  after  his  return  to  New  York,  to  be 
lieutenant.  After  a  short  leave  of  absence,  he  was  or- 
dered to  the  U.  S.  Steamer  Lancaster,  then  at  Norfolk, 


THE  C().MMANl)i:U   OF   TIIK   KXPKDITION. 


9 


Va.,  but  whilo  .she  was  propariufjj  lor  sea  ho  was  phiccd 
on  (Uity  in  Wuslun<ifton  lor  j)ractioo  in  sij^nals.  Wliilst 
on  this  (hity  ho  was  loli'^raphod  lor  to  conio  to  his 
inothor's  sick-hod.  His  iathor  had  die  1  whih'  the  Canan- 
diii<j;Mii  was  absont  on  lior  crniso,  iind  Mrs.  Do  Lonj^  had 
boon  loft  alono.  8ho  had  n  passionato  love  for  her  son, 
and  his  long  absonoo,  in  a  life  which  was  roi)Ugnant  to 
her  ohoioo  lor  him,  was  a  griovons  biu'don  to  lior.  She 
Avas  bravo  and  unsoKish,  and  refused  to  onibitter  his 
life  with  her  oonipli^'uts  ;  but  her  death,  which  occurred 
now,  l)rought  afresh  to  him  a  sense  of  the  relations 
they  had  sustained  to  each  other,  and  hi^:  naturally 
buoyant  nature  was  greatly  depressed  when  ho  re- 
joined the  Lancaster,  which  had  boon  ordered  to  the 
South  Atlantic. 

His  depression  was  deepened  by  the  fact  that  ho  was 
waiting  for  the  expiration  of  a  three  years'  delay,  which 
had  been  agreed  npon  between  him  and  the  father  of 
the  lady  to  whom  ho  had  olYorod  himself  in  marriage, 
and  whom  ho  had  mot  at  Havre,  where  she  was  liv- 
ing at  the  time  of  the  Canandaigua's  cruise  in  French 
waters.  His  eager,  impetuous  nature  wore  out  two  of 
the  three  years,  when  the  delay  became  insuirorablo. 
Ho  obtained  leave  of  absence,  and  presented  himself  in 
Havre  in  February,  1871,  where  his  persistence  and  res- 
olution made  good  the  third  year  of  his  waiting.  The 
Franco-Prussian  War  was  nearing  its  close.  An  armis- 
tice had  been  dijclarod,  but  Havre  was  accessible  only 
from  the  sea ;  comnumication  with  Paris  was  cut  off  by 
the  Prussian  army  and  the  breaking  up  of  bridges  and 
railways.  The  harbor  was  occupied  by  a  number  of 
foreign  men-of-war,  sent  for  the  protection  of  neutral 
interests,  and  among  these  was  the  U.  S.  Steamer  Shen- 
andoah. 


i' 


10 


THE   VOYAGE   OF   TliE  JEANNETTE. 


Such  neutral  interests  as  Mr.  De  Long  enjoyed  were 
especially  in  need  of  protection  by  a  United  States 
man-of-war ;  for  after  all  difficulties  had  been  removed, 
and  the  resolution  taken  at  noon  of  March  1st  to  have 
the  marriage  performed  in  the  evening  of  that  day,  since 
the  bride's  father  was  compelled  to  return  to  America, 
fresh  difficulties  sprang  up.  Marriage  in  France  is  a 
civil  contract,  and  Mr.  De  Long  saw  the  necessity  of 
securing  the  presence  and  services  of  General  Glasgow, 
the  United  States  Consul.  The  consul,  however,  had 
gone  into  the  country,  and  for  several  hours  the  anx- 
ious bridegroom  was  driving  frantically  about  on  a 
search  for  him.  General  Glasgow,  when  he  was  at 
last  found,  began  to  explain  the  formalities  which  were 
required  ;  but  Mr.  De  Long  was  too  busy  for  any  trivial 
matters,  and  was  off  on  the  more  important  errand  of 
buying  a  wedding  ring.  Th:^  bride's  family  meanwhile 
had  secured  the  services  of  the  Rev.  George  Washing- 
ton, a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England. 

At  eight  o'cloc'c  a  few  guests  assembled,  and  the 
clergyman  and  consul  were  present.  Everything  was 
in  readiness  when  General  Glasgow  turned  to  the  cler- 
gyman and  said  :  — 

"  I  suppose  you  liave  the  proper  authority  to  per- 
form this  ceremony.  You  know  in  France  mari'iage  is 
a  civil  contract." 

'•  I  have  no  authority  whatever,"  he  replied  ;  "  but  I 
suppose  that  if  you,  as  United  States  Consul,  witness 
the  ceremony,  the  marriage  will  be  legal." 

"  On  the  contrary,"  said  General  Glasgow,  "  con- 
suls have  no  power  to  marry  or  witness  marriages  on 
Frencli  soil ;  the  United  States  Minister  at  Paris  is  the 
only  person  liaving  such  authority.  This  marriage  can- 
not proceed  ;  it  will  not  be  legal."     Here  was  a  sore 


m 


THE  COMMANDER  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


11 


per- 

ige  is 


but  I 

itnoss 

con- 
PS  on 
1  the 
can- 
sore 


perplexity.  It  was  impossible  to  send  for  Mr.  Wasli- 
burne;  it  was  impossible  for  Mr.  Wasliburne  to  reach  the 
waiting  couple.  Moreover,  the  steamer  which  was  to 
take  Captiiin  Wotton,  the  father  of  the  bride,  was  to 
sail  for  America  in  a  couple  of  hours.  The  fates  seemed 
ac-ainst  the  marriage,  and  Mr.  De  Long  was  looking  in 
vain  for  a  way  out  of  the  dilemma,  when  the  consul, 
whose  learning  had  been  so  destructive,  suddenly  drew 
upon  his  reserve  legal  forces,  and  exclaimed  :  — 

''  There  is  a  United  States  man-of-war  in  port,  and 
under  the  Hag  she  flies  this  clergyman  has  a  perfect 
right  to  perform  the  ceremony  of  marriage  between 
two  American  subjects." 

This  simple  and  brilliant  expedient  was  seized  upon 
with  alacrity.  Messengers  and  servants  were  sent  off 
in  various  directions.  Captain  Wells  of  the  Shenan- 
doah, who  was  a  friend,  immediately  prepared  his  ship 
for  the  ceremony  by  displaying  all  his  bunting  and  dec- 
orating with  Chinese  lanterns.  He  sent  boats  for  the 
party,  who  rowed  out  at  half  after  nine  of  a  brilliant 
starlight  night,  and  were  received  by  the  officers  in  full 
dress  uniform,  and  with  all  the  music  that  could  be 
summoned.  The  following  entry  was  made  in  the 
ship's  log:  ''March  1,  1871.  From  8  r.  m.  to  mid- 
night. ...  At  10  p.  M.  the  ceremony  of  marriage  be- 
tw(  on  Lieutenant  George  W.  De  Long,  U.  S.  Navy, 
and  Miss  Emma  J.  Wotton,  of  Hfivre,  was  performed 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Washington,  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
of  Havre." 

At  the  end  ol'  April  Lieutenant  De  Long  was  ordered 
to  duty  in  the  Equipment  Department  at  the  New  York 
Navy  Yard,  and  in  January,  1872,  he  Avas  ordered  to 
the  Nantasket  as  executive  officer.  The  ship  cruised 
in  the  Gulf,  and  in  July  he  was  detached  from  the 


12 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


Nantasket  and  ordered  for  the  same  duty  to  the  Frolic, 
stationed  in  New  York  Bav. 

At  the  close  of  January,  1873,  Lieutenant  De  Long 
was  ordered  to  the  Juniata,  Avhicli  was  attached  to  the 
North  Atlantic  squadron.  Wliile  at  New  York,  in  May 
of  the  same  year,  news  came  that  Captain  Tyson^  sea- 
man Nindemann,  and  seventeen  others  of  the  crew  of 
the  Arctic  exploring  steamer  Polaris,  had  been  picked 
up  by  a  whaler,  while  floating  south  on  an  iee-tloe. 
The  report  which  they  gave  of  the  condition  of  the 
Polaris  hiduced  the  United  States  Government  to  send 
a  man-of-war  to  the  relief  of  that  vessel,  and  the 
Juniata  was  selected  for  the  duty.  She  was  slightly 
strengthened  for  her  special  work,  and  dispatched  to 
the  coast  of  Greenland.  Lieutenant  De  Long  entered 
into  the  plans  of  the  voyage  with  alacrity,  and  though 
separating  from  his  wife  and  child,  he  announced  his 
intention  of  volunteering  for  any  unusual  duty  which 
might  arise.  Something  of  the  spirit  in  which  he  en- 
gaged in  the  enterprise  may  be  gathered  from  a  letter 
which  he  sent  home  while  on  the  cruise.  Writing  from 
Sukkertoppen,  Greenland,  July  IGth,  he  says  :  — 

"•  Thus  far  the  trip  has  been  a  very  monotonous  one  to  nie, 
and  I  don't  suppose  I  shall  begin  to  see  any  excitement  in  it 
till  our  boat  expedition  leaves  the  ship  at  Upernavik.  Then 
to  me  the  desirable  portion  of  this  trip  will  begin ;  and  if  with 
the  blessin<r  of  Providence  we  are  so  '"ortunate  as  to  find  the 
Polaris  and  her  people,  I  shall  consider  our  trip  to  Greenland 
and  its  icy  mountains  as  one  well  worth  remembering." 

The  Juniata  reached  Upernavik,  Greenland,  without 
coming  upon  any  further  intelligence  of  the  Polaris, 
and  it  was  not  deemed  prudent  to  take  her  further  to 
the  north.  Instead,  it  wa*  thought  best  to  send  a  boat 
expedition  to  make  a  search  along  the  coast,  and  Lieu- 


THE  COMMANUEIl  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


13 


itliout 
)laris, 
lier  to 
boat 
I  Lieu- 


tenant De  Long  at  once  volunteered  to  take  command 
of  the  search  party.  Captain  Braine  accepted  him  and 
oiive  him  orders  for  the  expedition.  These  orders,  and 
an  extract  from  the  report  which  Lieutenant  De  Long 
made  upon  his  return,  will  best  describe  the  search, 
and  the  report  will  show  more  clearly  than  any  com- 
ment upon  it  the  courage,  resolution,  and  coolness  of 
the  commander  of  the  perilous  boat  expedition  :  — 

U.  S.  Steamek  Jumata  (3(1  rati'). 

Upkrnavik,  Gkekni.axd,  JuIij  31,  1873. 

LiiirxEXAXT  George  W.  De  Long,  U.  S.  N., 
Commandinri  the  Steam-Launch  Juniata. 

Sill, The  Little  Juniata,  the  li-rgest  steani-hiunch  of  this 

sliip,  lias  been  carefully  strengthened  with  outer  planking,  also 
with  an  iron  stem  plate,  and  her  propeller  guarded  with  an 
iron  frame.  She  is  thoroughly  equipped,  arranged,  and  pro- 
visiouod  for  sixty  days,  under  your  supervision,  for  a  search 
for  the  U.  S.  Steamer  Polaris,  along  the  fast  inshore  ice  to  the 
northward  of  this  place  towards  Melville  Biiy. 

You  will  assume  command  of  her,  and  at  the  first  appro- 
priate moment  proceed  to  carry  out  said  search  as  far  as  it  is 
positively  prudent  to  advance  to  the  northward. 

In  navigating  these  northerly  and  almost  unknown  waters, 
nuu'li  must  be  left  to  your  discretion,  and  your  movements 
must  be  controlled  by  the  short  time  the  U.  S.  Steamer  Juni- 
ata will  remain  at  Upernavik,  which  is  until  August  25,  1873. 

You  are  enjoined  to  advise  with  the  ice-pilot  furnished  you, 
who  has  twice  passed  over  the  waters  you  are  about  to  navi- 
gatt^  and  wintered  in  the  frozen  Arctic  regions. 

The  Little  Juniata  is  not  to  be  jeopardized  or  pushed  into 
the  ice-packs,  if  you  meet  them  ;  nor  is  she,  or  the  lives  of 
those  on  board,  to  be  involved  in  any  way  it  is  possible  to 
avoid ;  for  you  must  remember  that  tlie  U.  S.  Steamer  Tigress, 
a  vessel  equipped  and  prepared  for  ice  cruising,  will  soon  pro- 
ceed to  Ballin's  Hay  into  Smith's  Straits,  to  search  for  the 
Polaris,  up  to  the  point  where  she  wa3  last  seen  (Northum- 
berland Island)  in  October,  1872,  and  you  are  reconnoitring, 


i   rii!! 


14 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


;  P 


JSli 


III! 


previous  to  her  going  possibly  to  pass  an  Arctic  winter  in  77° 
North. 

Should  you  find  the  Poltiris,  or  her  oiiicers  and  crew,  you 
will  return  with  dispatch  to  Upernavik,  at  which  place  the 
Juniata  will  remain  up  to  the  date  previously  mentioned  ;  and 
you  are  not,  under  any  circumstances  within  your  control,  to 
he  absent  from  this  ship  beyond  fifteen  days ;  for  which  time 
you  have  coal,  i.t  a  daily  lonsumption  of  five  hundred  pounds. 

Should  you  not  find  the  Polaris  by  the  time  you  have  con- 
sumed one  half  of  your  coal,  }0U  are  to  return  to  Upernavik, 
and  sooner  if  you  meet  any  formidable  ice  obstructions. 

Should  the  U.  S.  Steamer  Tigress  leave  Upernavik  before 
you  return,  slie  will  be  directed  to  keep  a  lookout  for  you ; 
and  should  you  meet  her  under  any  circumstances  that  war- 
rant it,  you  will  renuiin  with  her,  if  her  commander  deems  it 
most  prudent  you  should  do  so ;  but,  should  the  Little  Juniata 
lye  able  to  prosecute  the  voyage  of  return  to  Upernavik,  I  wish 
you  to  do  so,  and  be  at  that  place  on  or  before  August  25, 
1873. 

Should  you  not  be  at  I'pernavik  by  that  date,  I  will  leave 
there  coal  and  provisions  siiflicient  for  your  return  to  Godhavn, 
Disco  Islantl,  Avhcre  I  expect  to  remain  until  September  20th 
or  25th,  or  the  latest  days  previous  to  the  close  of  navigation 
by  the  ico  in  those  waters. 

With  hopes  your  search  will  prove  suocessfid,  and  that  you 
may  find  the  Polaris,  or  gain  some  tidings  of  her,  or  be  th.e 
means  of  conveying  through  the  Esquimaux  to  those  on  board 
the  news  of  the  vessels  now  in  search  of  her,  I  sincerely  wish 
you  success  in  your  undertaking.  I  assure  you  1  sliall  await 
with  great  interest  your  return  to  this  ship  from  the  hazardous 
duty  for  which  you  and  those  associated  with  you  have  volun- 
teered. You  Avill  be  accompanied  by  Lieutenant  Charles  W. 
C'liipp,  U.  S.  N.,  Ensign  Sidney  H.  iAlay,  U.  S.  N.,  Pilot 
Henry  W.  Dodge  ;  Richard  Street,  Boatswain's  Alate  ;  Frank 
Hamilton,  machinist ;  William  King,  seaman  extra ;  Martin 
T.  Maher,  ordinary  seaman. 

I  am,  most  sincei-ely  yours, 

D.  L.  Bkaine,  Commander  U.  S.  iV], 
Commanding  U.  S.  S.  Juniata  and  Senior  Officer  present. 


I\\ 


THE  COMMANDED   OF   THE   EXrEDlTIO>f. 


15 


in 


r-rjc 


iw,  you 
ace  the 
d ;  and 
itrol,  to 
ch  time 
ounds. 
ive  con- 
irnavik, 

c  before 
for  you ; 
liat  war- 
leems  it 
Juniata 
:,  I  wish 
gust  25, 

[ill  leave 
odliavn, 
Der  20th 
igation 

lat  you 

be  tlie 

)n  board 

ly  wish 

I  await 

izardous 

e  vol II 11- 

rlos  W. 

,   Pilot 

Frank 

Martin 


An  Esquimau,  Jacob  Lynglie,  accompanied  the  party 
as  an  interpreter  and  coast  pilot  between  Upernavik  and 
Cape  Sliackelton.  Lieutenant  De  Long's  report  of  tlie 
expedition  notes  that  he  had  before  been  charged  by 
Commander  Braine  with  all  the  necessary  preparations 
for  the  expedition  when  the  Juniata  was  at  St.  John's, 
Newfoundland,  where  the  launch  had  been  specially 
strengthened. 

The  dimensions  of  the  Little  Juniata  were  :  — 


Li'ii"'tli  (ivtT  iill,  32  feel  (J  iiichofi. 
Lfiigth  of  kucl,  28  feet  3  inelies. 


Broiulth,  8  feet  4  inches. 
Dipth,  4  feet  1  iiielies. 


She  was  sloop-rigged  and  carried  a  three-ljladed  pro- 
peller. 

"  On  Satiu-day,  August  2d,  at  12.55  r.  :m.,"  the  reijort  pro- 
ceeds, "  tlie  boat  being  in  readiness,  provisioned,  and  supplied 
with  four  tons  of  anthracite  coal,  I  received  your  final  ordei's 
and  slioved  off  from  the  ship  with  the  dingy,  containing  twelve 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  pounds  of  coal,  in  tow,  and  heartily 
cheered  by  the  ship's  company,  proceeded  on  our  voyage  to 
the  northward  under  steam,  with  a  fine  breeze  from  the  south- 
west. I  immediately  organized  the  party  and  divided  them  in 
two  watches  :  one  in  charge  of  Lieutenant  C'hipp,  and  consist- 
ing of  himself,  Mr.  Dodge,  ILunilton,  and  Street ;  and  the 
other  in  my  own  charge,  and  composed  of  the  remaining  four 
of  (he  ])arty,  the  Es(|uimau  being  for  the  present  cxehuhMl. 
This  arrangement  of  watclies  was  ke[)t  up  (hiring  our  entire 
absence,  the  olllcers  and  men  working  alike,  and  turning  in 
and  out  Avitli  each  other. 

"  At  8.?)0  the  same  afternoon  we  passed  the  small  settle- 
ment of  Kingitok,  about  twelve  miles  to  the  northward,  and 
working  our  wav  among  countless  icebergs  and  throu<di  nar- 
row  j)asses  between  islands,  arrived  without  accident  at  Tessi- 
Lssak  at  eleven  o'clock  that  night,  and  in  obedience  to  your 
orders  left  the  dingy  at  that  place  to  be  brought  back  by  a 
Danish  boat,  landetl  six  hundred  pounds  of  coal  from  her  for 
our  use  on  returning,  took  the  remainder  into  the  launch,  and 
were  ready  to  depart  at  midnight.     The  weather,  however. 


16 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEAXNETTE. 


bad  set  in  bad,  blowing  fiesli  from  the  southwest,  with  a  thick 
fog,  and  I  deemed  it  prudent  to  wait  until  morning,  or  until 
there  was  some  clianco  of  working  through  the  fog  with  safety. 
"  Tessi-Ussak  is  a  small  \)h  je  of  some  half  dozen  Esquimau 
huts,  besides  the  house  in  wliicli  the  chief  trader,  Jensen,  re- 
sides. Jensen  is  the  Dane  who  accompanied  Dr.  Hayes  on 
his  several  expeditions,  as  a  dog  driver  and  hunter,  and  is  ap- 


parently an  excellent  man,  speaking  English  well,  and  willing 
and  anxious  to  be  of  service  to  Americans,  of  whom  he  speaks 
in  the  most  enthusiastic  terms.  At  his  hands  we  received  a 
warm  welcome,  and  such  hospitalities  as  his  recent  arrival  and 
consequent  unsettled  condition  would  permit. 

"  Tessi-Ussak  has  a  small  harbor,  but  it  is  nearly  always  full  of 
icebergs,  and  we  were  forced  to  anchor  among  them,  too  close 
for  comfortable  contemplation,  and  ynth  the  chance  of  any 
one  of  them  turning  over  upon  us.  The  night  being  rainy 
and  comparatively  warm  (45°)  many  icebergs  broke  up,  and 
the  cracking  and  breaking  and  turning  over  and  over  con- 
tinued during  our  entire  stay. 


■^MU 


TIIK  ("O:\IMANDER  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


17 


th  a  thick 
|,  or  until 
ith  safety. 
Esquimau 
fensen,  re- 
Hayes  on 
and  is  ap- 


md  willing 
be  speaks 
received  a 

irrival  and 

ays  full  of 
too  close 
ce  of  any 
eing  rainy 
e  up,  and 
over  con- 


"  At  ten  A.  M.  Sunday,  August  3d,  the  fog  having  lifted  to 
some  extent,  we  got  underway  and  steamed  away  to  the  north- 
ward, passing  in  between  Brown  Island  and  the  mainland,  work- 
in"-  our  way  among  icebergs  and  keeping  close  in  to  the  main- 
hmd  to  keep  in  smooth  water,  and  to  be  ready  to  slip  in  and 
anchor,  should  a  fog  overtake  us.  At  four  P.  M.  had  passed  Cone 
Island  and  Wedge  Island  to  the  westward,  and  sighted  Cape 
Sliaokelton  and  tlie  Horse's  Head,  a  prominent  island  off  this 
cajto,  right  ahead.  Passed  to  the  eastward,  of  the  island,  and 
at  t'iglit  p.  M.,  having  Cape  Shackelton  close  aboard,  det(>rmine 
tlie  position  of  the  boat  to  be  in  lat.  73°  42'  N.,  long.  57°  W. 

"  I  had  calculated  before  leaving  the  ship  that  we  should  be 
enabled  witli  an  expenditure  of  five  hundred  pounds  of  coal  per 
day  to  make  an  average  speed  of  four  knots  per  hour  under  a 
steam  pressure  of  twenty  pounds ;  and  with  a  view  to  keeping 
the  feed  water  for  the  boiler  as  fresh  as  possible,  a  steam-pipe 
had  been  carried  from  the  boiler  to ,  the  water-tank,  for  the 
purpose  of  melting  fresh-water  ice,  which  we  should  pick  up 
on  tlie  way,  and  put  in  the  tank.  We  found  upon  trial  thus 
far  tliat  the  expenditure  of  steam  to  melt  the  ice  was  too  great 
to  keep  up  our  proposed  speed,  and  I  concluded  to  supply  the 
boiler  with  salt-water,  which  of  course  we  had  to  dip  up  from 
the  water  outside.  Running  with  salt-water  increased  our 
expenditure  of  fuel,  and  I  now  feared  that,  instead  of  coal 
for  fifteen  days  as  originally  calculated,  we  would  have  only 
enough  for  eight  days.  With  our  sails  we  may  be  able  to  do 
hotter,  shoulil  we  be  favored  witli  fair  winds.  This  day  we 
liad  light  northerly  winds,  smooth  sea ;  average  temperature 
of  the  air  45°,  of  the  water  41°. 

"  At  four  A.  M.  Monday,  August  4th,  passed  inside  of  the 
Duck  Islands,  Baffin  Islands  bearing  true  N.  E.,  weather  thick, 
breeze  coming  up  fresh  from  N.  and  W.  and  cloudy,  with  in- 
dications of  coming  fog.  This  state  of  affairs  continuing  at 
three  P.  M.  I  kept  the  boat  away  to  the  eastward,  made  sail, 
and  stood  in  for  a  headland,  which,  from  its  position  and  my 
calculation  of  the  boat's  run,  I  assume  to  be  Wilcox  Head,  in 
about  lat.  74°  40'  N.  In  getting  under  this  headland,  the  fog 
continuing,  we  made  the  boat  fast  to  an  iceberg,  and  waited 


■HP 


B 


TiiH  V()VA(;k  ok  tiik  jkanneitk. 


-ii 


for  ii  clearing  up.  At  livt-  p.  M.  tlio  tog  clearing,  wc;  slipped 
from  tliu  berg  and  rounded  the  li(>adlund  to  the  northward. 
]V]y  object  in  keei)ing  in  close  to  the  shore,  though  we  were 
Avorlving  through  icebergs,  was  to  get  a  sight  of  the.  Devil's 
Tiiunib,  a  remarkable  pillar  of  land  north  of  Wilcox  Head, 
and  from  which  I  intended  to  take  a  fresh  departure  for  cross- 
ing Melville  Hay.  But  on  rounding  Wilcox  Ifoad  we  saw 
nothing  of  the  Devil's  Tluuub,  and  1  imagined  1  might  have 
been  <leceivetl  in  the  boat's  j)osition  in  the  afternoon.  Our 
accommodations  were  so  limited,  the  boat  had  to  carry  so 
much,  and  the  diflieulty,  not  to  say  danger,  of  getting  outside 
of  the  boat  was  so  great,  that  the  log  could  not  be  hove  with 
any  accuracy,  and  our  reckoning  was  at  the  best  not  the  most 
reliable.  The  currents  set  us  out  of  our  reckoning  frecpiently, 
sometimes  being  to  the  northward  and  sometimes  to  the  south- 
ward.^ 

"  Discovering  another  high  headland  to  the  northward  of  the 
supposed  Wilcox  Head  1  stood  on,  getting  in  tolerably  open 
water,  and  having  a  smooth  sea  and  no  wind  \tith  clear  sky, 
we  hoadcid  iov  this  new  high  land.  On  going  below  at  eight 
r.  M.  I  dire;^ted  Lieutenant  Chipp  to  call  me  when  nearly  up 
with  this  headland,  or  in  case  of  any  change  in  the  weather. 
At  ten  P.  M.  Lieutenant  Chipp  called  me,  a  fog  having  shut 
in,  and  land  being  entirely  obscured,  nnu'li  ice  being  encoun- 
tered in  the  shapo  of  pack  ice  and  icebergs,  and  some  mnv  ice 
an  inch  in  thickness.  I  immediately  put  about  and  attempted 
to  retrace  our  way,  which  we  succeeded  in  doing  for  several 
miles,  but  (inally,  owing  to  the  increasing  thickness  of  the 
fog,  w(^  missed  our  track  and  were  brought  to  a  staiul-still  in 
the  pack.  As  far  as  we  could  see  we  were  caught  in  solid  ice 
from  about  one  to  two  feet  thick,  with  large  hummocks  and 
icebergs  surrounding  us.     IJy  steady  ramming  of  the  ice  and 

1  h  is  well  to  note  horn  for  the  iufonnatlon  of  iiny  who  may  ijct  into 
AHisDU  Bay,  that  the  eliart  is  wron<f  in  k-avin;^  it  to  be  inianined  that  the 
bay  is  tree  oxeopt  as  to  iceberpis.  It  is  filleil  with  small  islands,  running 
a/on<4  about  fifteen  miles  from  liie  <j;hiciei'  line,  and  extending;  from  Cape 
Seddon  nearly  fifteen  miles  to  the  southward  toward  Wilcox  Head.  It 
was  the  presence  of  these  islands  which  confused  us  in  reference  to  Wilcox 
Head.  —  G.  W.  De  L. 


TIIK   (  O.MMANDER   OF    TllK   KXrEDI'l'ION. 


19 


\'i!  slipped 
lortlnviu'il. 
Ii  we  were 
lui   Dcvirs 
cox  Head, 
ti  for  croKS- 
id  we  saw 
night  have 
lOon.     ( )iir 
3   carry  so 
incr  outside 
;  hove  with 
ot  the  most 
frecpiently, 
)  the  south- 
ward of  llic 
'rably  open 
.  clear  sky, 
pw  at  eight 
1  nearly  up 


le  w 


eatl 


icr, 


laving  shut 

ng  encoun- 

me  new  ice 

iittenii)ted 

for  several 

ii>.ss   of  the 

and-still  in 

in  solid  ice 

mocks  and 

he  ice  and 

|inay  ^e't  into 
iin'il  that  the 
i\(1s,  running 
Iff  tVoni  Cape 
')X  IIiMtl.  It 
;  to  Wilcox 


worUin"  a  clear  space  about  us,  wo  occasionally  made  small 
cracks  in  the  floes,  and  succeeded  in  forcing  oiu  w;iy  a  little 
at  a  time,  getting  occasionally  in  open  patches  of  water  and 
anion"-  loose  ice,  and  making  two  or  three  miles  before  being 
bidii'dit  up  again  by  solid  ije.  I  had  headiMl  the  boat  to  tli(! 
westward  on  losing  our  wiiy  in  the  ice,  and  1  knew  that  every 
foot  we  made  in  that  direction  was  toward  the  open  wati'i-. 
The  temiuMaturc  was  from  30°  to  32°,  the  rigging  was  covered 
with  rime,  aiul  the  new  ice  was  rapidly  forming  around  us  and 
incieasiug  in  thickness.  I  did  not  dare  to  stop  for  a  clearing 
up  (.f  the  fog,  h'st  we  should  be  lirndy  frozen  in,  and  so  kept 
tho  boat  under  way  with  full  steam  pressure,  grinding  through 
the  ice  where  we  could,  ramming  it  wherever  there  was  a 
chanci^  of  success,  and  following  every  little  lead  to  the  wcst- 

wii'd. 

*'  Jn  all  this  I  was  guided  l)y  Mr.  Dodge,  the  ice-pilot,  whose 
jircv  ions  experience  in  the  Arctic  regions  enabled  him  to  give 
uic  "ood  ailvice,  aiul  upon  whose  judgment  in  this  emergency 
1  iclied,  and  handled  the  boat  accordingly.  The  plan  of  keep- 
ing to  th(!  westwaril  proved  a  wise  one,  for  at  8.30  A.  M.  we 
were  rewarded  by  coming  into  quite  large  spaces  of  open 
water,  and  at  nine  A.  M.  were  pleased  to  detect  a  little  swell, 
giving  indications  of  an  approach  to  the  open  sea  beyond, 
lly  tt'ii  A.  M.  we  were  tpiite  clear  of  the  pack  after  our  twelve 
lioius  (if  itneasincss,  and  with  no  more  damage  to  our  little 
craft  than  a  slight  scratching  and  sidintering  of  our  strength- 
ening pluidv,  occasioned  by  the  new  ice  through  which  we 
forced  during  the  night. 

"  I  immediately  headed  the  boat  to  the  N.  W.  (true),  N.  E. 
magnetic,  and  the  fog  dearing  up  by  noon,  we  sighted  at  two 
r.  .M.  three  islands  on  our  starboard  quarter,  the  Sabine  Isl- 
ands, marked  on  the  chart  as  being  in  lat.  75°  28'  N.,  long. 
6!i°  oo'  W.  At  the  same  time  made  out  the  glaciers  beyond 
to  the  N.  E.,  a  large  niunber  of  icebergs,  and  a  curious  looking 
hill  with  two  peaks,  which  no  doubt  was  the  Cape  Walker 
marked  on  the  chart,  or  land  in  its  immediate  vicinity.  Gen- 
erally  s[)eaking,  the  chart  is  inaccurate  to  a  great  extent  to 
the  northward  of  Cape  Shackeltou,  the  coast  line,  as  we  found 


"^ 


! 


I: 


Pi! 

:;;!,       I, 


20 


TlIK   VOYAGE    OF   THE  JE ANNETTE. 


i 


it,  being  nearly  always  a  glacier  line.  To  the  best  of  our 
ability  to  see  and  judge,  the  ice-pack  was  tolerably  solid  from 
these  Sabine  Islands  to  the  coast,  showing  that  we  were  not 
far  removed  from  the  edge  of  the  Melville  IJay  pack.  The 
entire  bay  was  dotted  with  clusters  of  icebergs, 

"  IJetween  four  and  six  r.  M.  we  were  favored  with  a  light 
fall  of  snow,  the  thermometer  standing  at  42°,  with  a  light 
S.  E.  wind  and  moderate  swell.  Knowing  that  everything 
that  could  be  accomplished  by  the  boat  must  bo  done  in  line 
weather,  and  that  it  would  be  well  to  keep  a  hold  on  the  land 
as  much  as  possible,  owing  to  the  uncertainty  of  our  position 
and  the  inaccuracy  of  tlu;  chart,  I  determined  to  push  on 
with  greater  speed,  in  order  to  be  as  near  the  laud  as  possible, 
which  at  its  nearest  point  was  about  fifty  miles  distant,  and  to 
this  end  fired  up  afresh,  making  a  large  hole  in  our  fuel. 

"  At  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning,  Wednesday,  .Vugust 
6th,  we  had  no  land  in  sight  ahead,  but  we  found  ourselves 
on  the  edge  of  the  ice-pack,  with  a  thick  fog  shutting  in  and 
no  signs  of  a  lead  through.  At  about  eleven  A.  m.  land 
showed  itself  abeam,  beai-iug  N.  1^.  (true),  in  the  shape  of  two 
high  hills,  which  Mr.  Dodge  recognized  as  the  Peaked  Hill, 
marked  on  the  chart  as  being  in  lat.  76°  18'  N.  and  long.  62° 
W.  Just  as  we  sighted  this  land,  Mr.  Dodge  discovered  a 
lead  in  the  pack  to  the  westward,  but  the  fog  shutting  in 
thicker  than  ever,  we  were  unable  to  follow  it,  and  I  decided 
to  anchor  to  an  iceberg  rather  than  risk  the  boat  on  the  edge 
of  the  pack.  We  accordingly  nuide  our  ice-anchor  fast  at  one 
P.  M.,  but  discovering  the  berg  to  be  full  of  cracks  and  look- 
ing very  much  like  breaking  up,  I  shifted  our  anchorage  to  a 
small  ice-cake  and  banked  lires. 

"  At  this  point  I  took  an  account  of  fuel  remaining,  and  calcu- 
lated that  it  was  very  nearly  half  gone.  We  had  accomplished 
this  distance  without  any  more  serious  mishap  than  our  danger 
of  being  firmly  caught  in  the  ice  in  Allison  Bay.  Cape  York 
was  only  forty  miles  off,  and  the  people  of  the  Polaris  might  be 
there  waiting  for  relief.  In  the  foggy  state  of  the  weather 
burning  coal  without  advancing  would  be  a  waste  of  fuel,  and 
I  decided  to  let  the  fire  go  out  under  the  boiler,  hoping  to  ac- 


P 


THE  COMMANDED   OF   TllK   KXI'KDITIOX. 


21 


»est  of  our 

solid  from 

e  were  not 

jack.     Tlie 

vith  a  liglit 

'itli  a  lij^lit 

everything 

lone  in  line 

on  the  huul 

)ur  position 

to  push  on 

as  possibhi, 

tant,  and  to 

fuel. 

day,  August 
id  ourselves 
;ting  in  and 
1  A.  M.  land 
hape  of  two 
eaked  Hill, 
nd  long.  G2° 
liscovered  a 
shutting  in 
id  I  decided 
on  the  edge 
V  fast  at  one 
vS   and  look- 
|chorage  to  a 

r,  and  calcu- 
omplished 
our  danger 
Cape  York 
ris  might  be 
[the  weather 
lof  fuel,  and 


bping 


to  ac- 


loninlish  something  under  sail  should  the  fog  lift  or  a  chance 
i)n'sunt  itself  of  getting  open  water  to  the  northward.  Accord- 
ingly, in  the  moining  of  Thursday,  August  Tth,  wc  let  tlu;  lire 
(li(>  out.  I'll*'  thermometer  was  at  this  time  at  158°,  but  wo 
sulTercd  no  additional  iiu'ouvenience  on  tiiat  account. 

••  During  the  forenoon  it  promised  several  times  to  clear  up, 
the  sun  showing  itself  occasionally  for  a  few  moments,  but 
with  little  or  no  etl'ect  on  the  fog.  iJecoming  tired  of  inaction 
we  slipped  from  the  ice  at  9.4.")  A.  M.,  and  making  sail  stood  to 
N.  W.  (^true)  with  a  light  S.  E.  wind  and  swell. 

•'  At  noon  I  determined  the  position  of  the  boat  to  be  in  hit. 
T.V  ij-y  N.,  long.  04°  05'  \V.  by  our  dead  reckoning,  and  the 
last  bearing  we  had  of  the  land  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Peaked  Hill.  At  four  P.  M.  came  in  sight  of  the  ice-pack 
again,  and  inniunliately  hauled  the  boat  up  to  W.  N.  W.  (true). 
Discovering  a  lead  in  the  pack  to  the  northward  and  westward, 
stood  into  it  for  about  five  miles  until  Mr.  Dodge  jJionounced 
it  a  false  lead,  the  ice  closing  in  ahead,  four  feet  tiiick,  some 
of  last  year's  ice,  and  some  older.  Brought  by  the  wind  and 
beat  out  of  the  lead.  At  eight  the  wind  freshened  from  S.  S.  E. 
antl  we  commenced  to  work  to  the  westward,  as  much  as  possi- 
ble keeping  clear  of  tht;  ice.  At  midnight  hauled  alongside  of 
an  iceberg  to  fill  up  with  fresh-water  ice  for  drinking  and  cook- 
in<r.     .Moderate  sea.^ 

••  At  l.:>0  A.  M.  Friday,  August  Hth,  sighted  high  land,  bear- 
ing N.  W.  by  N.  (true),  and  trending  away  to  the  northward 
in  an  apparently  low  neck.  This  Mr.  Dodge  pronounced  our 
anxiously  looked  for  Cape  York,  and  at  2.30  A.  M.,  having 
worked  elear  of  detached  pieces  of  floe  ice,  stood  in  toward  the 
lautl,  which  we  calculated  to  be  about  eight  miles  distant.  At 
three  o'clock  A.M.  the  fog  shut  in  again^ thick  and  we  lost  sight 
of  ('a|)e  York.     At  the  same  time  the  wind  freshened  to  a  gale 

*  It  was  while  thus  employed  thiit  Mr.  Dodge,  the  ice-pilot,  noticed  a 
[crack  in  the  jorj^,  iiiid  mentioned  the  fact  to  Lieutenant  Dt-  Long.  The 
lorder  was  at  once  given  to  shove  off,  and  the  Little  Juniata  had  scarcely 
Ireached  a  safe  distance,  when,  with  a  loud  report,  tlie  iceberg  was  rent  in 
I  pieces.  The  launch  was  tossed  and  tumbled  by  the  waves  caused  by  the 
Icpnnnotion,  hut  otherwise  escajjcd  unharmed. 


*)'> 


Tin;    VnVA(.K   OK   HIK   JKANNKT  IK. 


from  tliH  S.  M.,  hihI  I  was  foiniu'llod  In  \n'\\v^  the  boat  liy  tlio 
wind  and  loct'  down  as  snii^  us  possililc.  At  t'lis  tiiuf,  liad  we 
b(!cn  in  open  watfr,  C'apr  York  could  liavo  been  iTaclu'd  with- 
out any  dillicuUy.  l>ut  as  far  as  wo  could  noe  to  the  northward, 
tlio  ice  was  in  a  solid  pack  three  to  four  feet  thick,  and  we  were 
struj^glinu;  along  on  the  odjjje  of  it  lookinj^  for  a  lead,  and  work- 
ing to  the  westward  in  sodoiiij^.  To  the  N.  K.  the  ico  was  also 
in  a  lirui  i)ack,  with  icehei'gs  and  hnnimocks  close  enough  to  pre- 
vent tlu^  opi-ning  of  the  ice  to  any  extent.  At  noon  1  eslah- 
lish  the  position  of  the  boat  in  lut.  75°  4H'  N.,  long.  (Id-  aO'  W. 

•'  In  th(^  afternoon  the  S.  1'^.  'j^-.Ac  had  caused  u  fearful  sea, 
and  working  as  we  were  on  tlie  edge  of  the  ice-pack,  our  situa- 
tioji  becann^  one  of  great  dangrr.  The  wind  had  staited  tin; 
Melville  Uay  pack  out  from  the  land,  and  to  the  northward 
and  westward,  making  a  regular  bight  in  which  wo  were  fairly 
placed.  We  had  to  carry  sail  in  order  to  k(!0})  the  boat  under 
control.  Steam  would  li.ive  been  of  no  use,  since  the  Little 
Juniata  could  not  for  one  moment  have  steamed  agjunst  such  a 
gale.  Laying  to  was  not  to  be  thought  of,  lest  we  .should  drift 
to  the  pack  and  be  ground  to  j)ieces.  The  prospect  at  this 
time  was  a  terrible  on(^  Icebergs  near  u.s,  (jue  hundred  feet 
in  height,  had  the  spray  iVom  the  sea  thrown  over  their  tops. 
On  api)roaching  the  edge  of  the  ])ack  ice  wo  could  sue.  a  scene 
of  great  coid'usion.  The  boi'dering  ico  would  be  broken  in 
large  {)ieces.  and  hurled  ui)on  tin;  more  solid  ice,  only  to  be  dis- 
placed by  fre.sh  pierces  torn  adrift  by  the  gale,  and  rolled  over 
and  over  upon  the  face  of  the  ])ack.  Tiie  fate  of  the  boat  and 
the  party  appeared  certain.  We  were  h;df  buried  in  the  seas 
at  times,  shij)pin<.;  <|uantities  of  water  and  ileluging  everything 
in  the  liiiai.  It  vai'.a  1  in  torrents.  Had  our  sail  split  or  our 
mast  giiiie,  nothing  could  have  Ihm'II  done.  I'rovitlentially, 
everything  held,  aiid  we  were  enabled  to  keep  the  boat  under 
some  control.  The  fog  was  very  thick,  making  it  extremely  dif- 
licidt  to  see  the  ice-pack  each  time  until  we  were  fairly  along- 
side of  it,  in  wdiich  case  we  hatl  to  wear  ship  at  once  without 
delay,  not  knowing  in  so  doing  whether  we  could  clear  this 
grinding  and  cru.shing  mass  of  ice  ov  not. 

"This  state  of  all'airs  continued   until  ten  o'clock  on    the 


^ 


boat  l>y  tli»' 

hiitl  we 


imt' 


III 


lu'tl  wiili- 
novthwiinl. 
mil  wo  wiMv 
I,  aiul  wurU- 
ice  was  iilso 
;h  to  \^vv- 
1  csital)- 
m°  50'  W. 
,  fearful  sea, 
3k,  our  situa- 
l  stiuti'il  the 
nurtliwanl 
fairlv 


iou« 
oon 


ic 


e  were 


ce 


boat  uiiiler 
tlie  Little 


fr;nns 


t  sucl 


1  a 


('  s 


houltl  drift 
OS  pee  t  at  this 
humlreil  feet 
c'l-  their  tops. 
(I  see  a  scene 
)(•   broken   in 

ilv  to  be  ilis- 
[\   rolled  over 

the  boat  and 
ll  in  the  seas 


|!4  every 


thini 


split  or  on  I' 

I'ovidentially. 

boat  undei' 

|x.treniely  dil- 

I'airly  alon^- 

once  without 

d  clear  this 


•lock   on    the 


( 

\ 

..# 

1 
I 

I 


r 


Hf 


gjjgaj*jgfe 


THE   COMMANDER   OF   THE    KXrEDlTlON. 


25 


miiriiiiif;  oi  Saturday,  August  Otli,  at  which  time  there  came 
a  hill.  W«  lifitl  theu  been  in  this  heavy  gale  thirty  hours,  and 
were  in  a  very  cold  and  exhausted  state.  Everything  was 
completely  saturated  with  water,  and  we  had  so  mach  water 
in  the  boat  tliat  I  feared  she  had  sprung  a  leak.  ^  The  Little 
.hmiaia  behaved  wonderfully  well,  anil  did  more  than  such  a 
sniiiU  craft  could  have  been  expected  to  do.  With  our  fire 
room  flooring  covered  with  water,  the  coal  bunkers  half  full  of 
till'  same,  every  locker  in  the  boat  afloat,  all  our  bailing  must 
have  made  little  impression  on  this  bulk  of  water  which  was 
constantly  increased  by  the  seas  shipped  at  every  one  of  the 
fearful  plunges  of  the  boat  and  the  showers  of  spray  thi-own 
over  us. 

"  We  hailed  with  great  relief  the  lull  in  the  wind  which 
gave  promise  of  a  breaking  up  of  the  gale,  and  fearing  for  the 
safety  of  the  boat  should  the  wind  subside  leaving  this  fearful 
sea  running,  we  attempted  to  get  a  fire  lighted  under  the  boiler. 
This  was  no  easy  matter,  and  for  a  while  seemed  impossible. 
Tlie  matches  we  had  taken  with  us  were  wet  and  useless.  The 
tinder  was  likewise  saturated  and  of  no  avail.  After  several 
hours'  work  we  succeeded  in  getting  a  friction  match  dry 
.Miougli  to  ignite,  —  Ensign  May  having  warmed  and  dried  it 
by  keeping  it  next  his  body  for  that  purpose,  —  and  with  this 
match  we  lighted  a  CiUidle  in  a  lantern,  which  Avas  almost  im- 
mediately extinguished  by  a  gust  of  wind.  By  a  repetition  of 
the  same  process  Mr.  May  secured  another  lighted  n7atch,  and 
this  time  we  succeeded  in  keeping  our  candle  alight.  We  at- 
tempted then  to  build  a  fire,  but  everv  stick  of  wood  was  soak- 
ing wet.  By  taking  cotton  waste  and  punk,  ^vet  as  they  were, 
and  pouring  oil  plentifully  over  them,  we  succeeded  at  last  in 
lighting  our  lire. 

••  During  this  time  the  wiiid  had  moderated  and  hauled  to 
the  S.  W.  I  calculated  the  boat  to  hitve  been  in  lat.  7o°  48' 
N.,  long.  (j8°  80'  W.  on  the  port  tack  r  wind  at  S.  E.  true),  and 
long.  67°  iO'  N.  on  the  end  of  each  sfarboard  tack.  We  had 
been  .■•'  ..ing  on  a  line  nearly  east  and  west  during  the  gale, 
making  about  twenty-five  miles  on  each  tack  before  v/earing 
ship,  and  obliged  to  go  over  nearly  the  «ime  ground    nu   ac- 


26 


THE   VOY'AGE   OF   THE  JEAXXE'ri'E. 


count  of  icebergs,  luffing  to  the  wind  as  occasion  served  or 
required. 

"  At  this  point  1  was  forced  to  tlie  conclusion  that  prosecut- 
ing the  search  any  longer  was  out  of  the  question.  My  orders 
read  positively  to  return  when  the  fuel  was  half  expended,  and 
on  no  account  to  risk  the  boat  in  the  ice-pack.  The  fuel  was 
half  gone,  and  what  was  left  was  in  such  a  condition  as  to  lead 
to  very  grave  doubts  as  to  its  being  relinble  for  steaming  on  the 
return.  As  far  as  we  could  see  to  the  northward  and  eastward 
was  pack  ice,  and  it  was  in  this  direction  that  our  i)ort  lay.  I 
did  not  know  how  close  to  the  middle  pack  we  liad  been  blown 
during  the  gale,  and  I  feared  if  the  wind  came  out  in  the  N. 
W.  we  should  not  only  be  blown  down  upon  the  Melville  Bay 
pack,  but  be  followed  by  detached  i)ortions  of  tlie  middle  pack, 
and  be  cauglit  firiidy  between  the  two.  Again,  if  we  had  suc- 
ceeded in  woi'kino;  our  wav  throuy,!!  a  lead  in  towards  the  land 
and  had  rt.'ached  it,  we  had  not  fuel  er.ough  to  work  our  way 
back  through  the  pack  ice,  supposing  that  a  N.  W.  wind  had 
not  closed  us  in  for  tlic  year. 

"  Up  to  this  time  we  had  seen  nothing  of  the  Polaris  or  of 
lier  people.  Had  lliey  been  at  Cape  Yoik,  it  would  not  have 
added  to  their  cliances  of  safety  had  our  little  party  increased 
tlieir  number,  with  the  ice  eiYectually  closing  our  means  of 
exit.  Anxious  as  we  . '-n-e  to  iiiid  tlicm.  iind  tell  them  of  relief 
coming,  T  eoidd  not  further  risk  our  ])arty  being  caught  in  the 
ice  in  an  open  boat.  w'ltU  the  season  closing,  new  ice  i'm-ming, 
and  only  fuel  enough  to  kee|)  us  warm  for  a  few  days.  I  did 
not  know  how  far  the  U.  S.  Steamer  Tigress  was  Ixdiind  us, 
nor  what  our  chances  would  have  been  of  her  rescuing  us,  had 
we  been  frozen  in.  The  weathe.  was  uncertain,  another  gale 
like  our  juevidus  one  was  by  no  means  unlikely,  atn]  my  orders 
expressly  ft)rbade  me  to  ji'opardize  the  lives  of  the  party  by 
jtultinn'  the  boat  in  the  pack  ice. 

^  Keluctantly,  therefore,  I  was  compelled  to  announce  that 
the  search  must  l)e  given  up,  and  headed  the  boat  to  IL*.  S.  E. 
on  our  return,  having  steam  enough  to  go  ahrad  at  four  r.  M. 
Having  gone  up  on  the  inshore  track,  1  concluded  to  return 
by  the  otl'shore,  or  mid-channel  track,  in  hopes  that  we  might 


Miff 


,,«K»iK»«««fcJ»M«i«a»4v 


THE  COMMANDER   OF  THE  EXPEDITION'. 


27 


see  something  of  the  Polaris  or  lier  people,  but  in  this  we  were 
not  gratified. 

"  The  wind  continued  hauling  to  the  westward,  soon  reduc- 
ing the  S.  E.  swell,  and  creating  a  swell  from  the  N.  W. 
Dcfore  this  we  went  along  at  a  good  rate,  the  weather  clearing 
gi-adnally,  the  ice-pack  disappearing  astern. 

''  Sunday.  August  10th,  opened  clear  and  pleasant,  so  con- 
tinuing till  past  meridian.  For  the  first  time  since  leaving 
the  ship  I  succeeded  in  getting  observations,  and  established 
the  boat's  position  at  noon,  in  lat.  74°  45'  N.,  long.  59°  37'  W.. 
li;iving  run  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  drring  the  pre- 
codinir  twenty-four  hours. 

"  At  one  r.  m.  sighted  the  Devil's  Tliumb,  bearing  true  N.  E. 
by  N..  distant  about  sixty  miles,  verifying  our  position  at  noon 
with  tolerable  accuracy.  The  weather  here  became  cloudy 
and  squally  from  \V.  S.  W..  with  snow,  hail,  and  rain.  Wind 
shifting  again  at  four  o'clock  to  S.  W.,  with  moderate  sea,  and 
so  continuing  till  nine  P.  M.,  from  which  time  to  midnight  we 
IkuI  light,  variable  airs. 

"  Monday.  August  lltL,  opened  clear  and  pleasant  with 
freshening  breezes  from  N.  E.  At  four  A.  M.  sighted  land  on 
port  bow,,  which  I  recognized  as  Cape  Shackelton,  and  at  5.30 
A.  M.  sighted  the  Duck  Islands  on  port  beam.  This  day  and 
the  day  previous  we  had  considerable  trouble  with  our  fires. 
Knowing  tliat  we  were  short  of  fuel,  we  economized  as  much 
;is  |"'>^sil)t  ,  and  were  sometimes  rewarded  by  the  engine  stop- 
p   lu  ■h-rir  for  want  of  steam. 

'  At  lOon  j^Jt  oui  latitude  by  meridian  altitude  of  the  sun 
to  be  To  ^,W  N.,  or  on  tln^  pnvallel  of  the  Horse's  Head,  Avhich 
now  showed  itself  on  our  port  beam.  We  then  headed  in  for 
Ibown  Island  off  Tessi-Ussak,  favored  with  a  fine  breeze  from 
N.  N.  W.,  with  long  swell,  which  led  me  to  think  that  the 
weather  had  been  unsettled  after  our  departure  from  Ca])e 
York.  At  miilnight  we  were  insidi'  of  Brown  Island,  lieading 
ii    'or  TeKsi-I'ssak. 

■  0  on''  A.  .Al.  Tuesday,  August  12tli,  sighted  Jensen's 
hoi'  and  discovovpd  a  steamer  apparently  at  anchor  in  the 
harbor.     She  immediately  thereafter  steamed   out  toward  us, 


28 


THE   VOYAGE   OF   THE  JEANNI:TTE. 


and  coining  alongside  of  us  proved  to  be  the  U.  S.  Steamer 
Tigress,  Commaiuler  James  A.  Greer,  from  Upernavik  the 
previous  evening.  I  boarded  her  and  communicated  to  Com- 
mander Greer  the  result  of  our  reconnaissance,  imparting  to 
him  the  circumstances  of  wind,  weather,  ice,  and  other  details 
relating  to  his  coming  journey,  up  to  four  o'clock  on  the  after- 
noon of  Saturday,  August  9th,  at  which  time  we  left  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Cape  York.  I  exhibited  to  him  my  chart,  showing 
our  track  going  and  returning,  reported  to  him  the  prevalence 
of  pack  and  new  ice  in  .Allison  Bay,  and  respectfully  recom- 
mended him  to  strike  to  the  N.  W.  from  Cape  Shackelton,  in- 
stead of  looking  fcv  ihe  Devil's  Thumb. 

"  I  also  offered     i  ?  services  of  our  entire  party  and 

boat,  expressing  our  v  gness  and  reudiness  to  accompany 
him  to  the  northward  in  his  search  for  the  Polaris,  which  ser- 
vices, to  our  great  regret,  he  declined.  Receiving  from  him 
his  mail  and  despatches  for  yoa,  I  left  the  Tigress  at  two  A.  M., 
she  immediately  steaming  to  the  westward  to  round  Brown 
Island,  and  the  Little  Juniata  stood  in  for  her  anchoi'age  in 
front  of  Jensen's  house.  The  people  of  the  Tigress  were  all 
well,  in  good  spirits,  and  enthusiastic  as  to  their  success,  which 
we  heartily  wished  them  in  spite  of  our  oAvn  disappointment. 

"  At  8.40  A.  M.,  having  received  on  board  the  six  hundred 
pounds  of  coal,  left  with  Jensen  on  the  2d,  and  having  received 
from  him  some  seal  blubber  in  case  we  ran  out  of  coal,  we  got 
our  anchor  and  steamed  away,  passing  among  the  same  islands 
and  through  the  same  channels  as  in  going  north,  and,  favored 
with  fine  weather  and  smooth  sea,  reached  the  ship  without 
any  mishap  at  eight  P.  :^[.  to-day,  and  were  warmly  received 
and  welcomed  back  by  you  and  the  other  officers  assembled  at 
the  gangway. 

"  It  now  remains  for  me  to  hope,  in  submitting  this  report 
to  your  consideration,  that  my  conduct  in  the  affair  will  meet 
with  your  approbation,  and  that  though  we  were  unsuccessful 
in  the  endeavor  to  find  the  Polaris  or  her  {jeople,  no  me.tns 
were  left  untried  that  the  nature  of  the  difiiculties  met  with 
and  the  limited  ability  of  our  boat  would  allow.  I  believe  the 
Little  Juniata  to  have  accomplished  more  than  was  expected 


|eport 
meet 
jssfiil 

lie.ins 
with 

|e  the 
icted 


■HffiMHItl 


imaH 


l\ 


II        fi 


Si : 


THE  ('()M.>[ANI)Ert   OF   THE   EXPEDITION. 


31 


of  lun-  in  reaching  the  parallel  of  TS"^  52'  N.,  there  successfully 
working  through  a  gale  of  great  violence,  and  running  nearly 
suven  hundred  miles  while  away  from  the  ship.  Witli  the 
limited  chances  for  keeping  a  reckoning,  owing  to  thick  foggy 
weather,  and  the  constant  discomfort  of  being  in  wet  clothing, 
witli  every  article  in  the  boat  drenched  by  the  rains,  or  by  the 
waves  breaking  over  her,  1  fear  that  this  report  will  not  prove 
as  satisfactory  for  navigation  purposes  hereafter  as  would  be 
desired.  I  have  made  this  report  to  you  in  detail,  omitting  no 
liivumstance,  however  slight,  tluit  a  fair,  general  idea  might 
lie  obtained  of  the  circumstances  of  Arctic  navigation  in  an 
open  boat,  even  at  this  the  most  favorable  season  of  the  year. 


••  Throughout  this  tvij)  the  otlicers  and  men  worked  alike, 
and  fared  alike,  and  as  we  are  unanimous  in  our  regret  that 
as  far  as  finding  and  relieving  the  Polaris  was  concerned  we 
failed,  we  beg  to  assure  you  we  are  of  one  voice  in  volunteer- 
ing for  any  subsequent  expedition  from  this  ship  or  from  the 
luited  States,  in  which  our  efforts  can  be  made  useful,  or  our 
experience  in  the  Little  Juniata  of  any  efiect. 

"  r  cannot  close  this  report  without  commenting  upon  the 
great  interest  taken  in  the  matter  by  yourself,  the  provision 
made  for  our  comfort,  and  your  thoughtful  care  tluit  nothing 
should  be  wanting  to  insure  our  safety  and  the  success  of  the 
expedition. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Captain, 

'•  Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"Geoege  W.  DeLoxg,  Lieutenant  U.  S.  Nnvy^ 
'•'•Late  commandhuj  Little  Juniata.^' 

During  the  absence  of  the  Little  Juniatii,  Captain 
Braine  had  met  the  Tigress,  and  been  greatly  alarmed 
l)y  the  representations  made  by  the  captain  and  ice- 
pilot.  The  Danes  and  Esquimaux,  also,  at  the  settle- 
ment, expressed  the  gravest  fears  for  the  safety  of 
Lieutenant  De  Long  and  his  party,  and  it  was  with  in- 
tense  relief  that  Captain   Braine  welcomed  the  Little 


m 


32 


Till':   VOYACK   OV    TllK   JEANXE'I'TE. 


i(!i 


Juniata  back.  Captain  Markhiiiii,  who  was  on  the  last 
English  expedition  under  Sir  George  Nares,  considered 
this  boat  journey  as  one  of  the  most  hazardous  and 
venturesome  undei-takings  he  had  ever  known.  Men 
to  save  their  own  lives  will  take  such  risks,  but  they 
rarely  court  them  to  save  others.  Melville  Bay  is  re- 
nowned for  its  dangers,  and  whole  lleets  of  whalers 
have  been  crushed  in  the  ice  which  crowds  it. 

The  following  letter,  which  Lieutenant  De  Long 
wrote  to  his  wife  after  the  expedition,  gives  in  more 
familiar  form  some  of  the  impressions  which  his  expe- 
rience left  upon  him. 

U.  S.  S.  JuxiATA,  GoDUAvx,  Disco  Island, 

GUKEXLAN'l),  Auf/usl  19,  1873. 

I  presume  there  will  be  no  question  us  to  our  having  tried 
our  best  to  find  the  Polaris,  and  as  to  our  having  tried  every 
means  to  accompHsh  it,  but  it  was  a  physical  impossibility  to 
drive  our  boat  through  ice  four  feet  in  thickness,  and  so  we 
wei-e  compelled  to  turn  back.  I  made  a  long  report  of  the 
expedition  covering  twenty-three  pages  of  otficlal  paper,  and 
of  course  I  cannot  give  you  such  a  complete  description  of  it 
in  one  iettf^v.  However,  there  were  some  things  which  I  did 
not  include  in  my  report,  and  these  things  I  can  write  you, 
and  you  can  know  they  were  reserved  for  your  reading  first. 

In  tlie  first  place.  I  am  thankful  to  God  for  having  spared 
me  to  come  back  to  you  again,  for  I  assure  you  I  felt  pretty 
well  convinced  on  two  occasions  that  I  was  going  to  leave  the 
bones  of  our  party  in  the  ice.  It  was,  to  say  the  least  of  it, 
a  perilous  journey,  and  our  experiences  of  the  ten  days  are 
things  which  I  shall  remember  for  the  rest  of  my  life.  There 
rested  on  my  shouhlers  the  fearful  responsibility  of  saying 
how  far  we  should  go,  and  how  far  the  lives  of  our  little  party 
were  to  be  jeopardized ;  and  surrounded  as  we  were  by  dan- 
gerous circumstances,  I  had  an  amount  of  care  on  my  mind 
that  I  do  not  desire  to  have  again  for  such  a  length  of  time 
even  as  ten  days.     Our  boat,  to  begin  with,  was  a  small  one, 


the  last 
iisidered 
ous  and 
1.  Moil 
)Ut  they 
ay  is  re- 
whalers 

)e  Long 

in  more 

liis  expe- 

I  Island, 


ving  tried 
ried  every 
ssibiHty  to 
and  so  we 
ort  of  the 
paper,  and 
ption  of  it 
;liich  I  did 
write  you, 


Ulil 


Ih'st. 


\ug  spared 

felt  pretty 
leave  the 

least  of  it. 

days  are 

i.     There 

of  saying 

little  party 


by  d 


111- 


mnu 


my 

Ith  of  time 

small  one, 


o    :  ,j'"m 


■|;ij 
■'  /  i 

I :  I- 


:   I 


If 


i 

i 


ii' 


i 

i 

1 

<;    ; 

Hi  i 

TlIK   COMMANDER   OF    11  IK   EXPEUlTiON. 


no 


iiiul  \vt'  were  loiuloil  down  with  ooal  iiiul  wliiit  provisions  wo 
sIkjuUI  require.  The  great  object  was  to  carry  coal  so  that  we 
iniglit  be  able  to  steam,  and  we  illled  up  every  available  nook 
ami  corner  with  that  precious  articles  VV<!  had  to  shiep  upon 
coal,  and  that  made  a  hard  bed,  1  assure  you  ;  and  when  you 
add  to  tliat  the  fact  that  we  were  wet  to  the  skin  almost  from 
the  time  of  our  start,  with  our  blankets  soaking  always,  you 
can  understand  that  we  had  very  little  comfort  and  less  rest. 
We  had  eight  in  our  party,  and  ke[)t  watch  and  watch,  of 
course,  and  in  bad  wetither  all  hands  had  to  be  around. 
Cooped  up  in  a  snudl  space,  there  could  be  no  distinction  made 
hctween  ollicers  and  men,  and  we  turned  in  and  out  with  each 
other. 

i  cannot  give  you  any  very  accurate  idea  of  our  trip  with- 
out writing  a  fearfully  long  letter,  and  so  I  will  only  refer  to 
llie  leading  incidents.  ^Vbout  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
to  the  northward  of  Upernavik  we  were  caught  in  the  ice. 
^'()W,  behig  caught  in  the  ice  means  starving  to  death  or 
lieing  frozen  to  death,  if  you  have  to  stay  there.  We  got 
caught  in  it  b}'  accident,  for  we  were  following  a  lead  in  the 
ici^  when  a  thick  fog  shut  in  and  new  ice  commenced  forminir 
around  us.  On  attempting  to  work  back  the  Avay  we  had 
come,  we  missed  our  track  and  wei'O  brought  up  standing. 
Such  a  night  of  anxiety  I  hope  never  to  have  again.  We 
were  fast,  ice  was  nudving  around  us  and  thickening  all  the 
time  ;  nothing  to  be  seen  for  miles  but  ice.  Mr.  L\)dge,  who 
had  spent  a  long  time  in  this  part  of  the  world,  shook  his  head 
rather  dubiously.  Still,  I  was  not  disposed  to  give  up  Avithout 
a  fight.  We  kept  ramming  the  ice  all  the  time,  trying  to 
drive  through  it,  running  into  every  little  crack  W(^  made, 
grinding  and  scraping,  trying  to  break  through  ahead  of  the 
boat,  so  as  to  make  a  clearance.  Sometimes  we  rould  get 
into  a  narrow  lane  of  water  and  nin  along  nicely  ■■,:  a  hun- 
dred feet  or  so,  and  then  bang  I  we  were  again  at  a  stand-still. 
This  continued  for  twelve  hours,  and  finally  we  got  clear. 

Our  next  mishap  was  getting  in  a  gale  of  wind  when  about 
eight  miles  from  Cape  York.  We  had  been  on  the  edge  of 
the  ice-pack  looking  for  an  opening,  in  a  thick  fog,  when  this 


?. 


I 


36 


TIIK    V()VA(iK   OF   Tin;  .IKANXKIIK. 


i! 


[fidv  ciirne  on,  mul  for  thirty  hours  \v(!  were,  without  «' 
on  the  brink  of  eternity.  Tht;  liout  wiis  nci:uly  all  the  mt' 
buried  by  tho  scii,  she  wa.s  haU"  lull  of  \vati;r,  we  were  sur- 
rouniled  l»y  icebergs  ii  luuulretl  feet  iit  least  in  height.  The 
broken  pieces  of  ice  were  being  hurled  like  stones  on  the  face 
of  this  ice-pack  and  ground  to  powdtjr,  or  else  thrown  over 
and  over  like  lava  from  a  volcano.  Had  we  struck  this  ice, 
our  chances  would  have  been  slim,  —  in  fact,  I  would  rather 
have  been  in  the  worst  surf  that  exists  than  have  bijen  thrown 
up  against  this  terrible  wall.  Looking  back  at  it  now  makes 
me  tremble,  and  I  can  only  say  that  it  was  a  miracle  of  Divine 
Providence  that  we  were  saved.  When  tlu!  gale  broke  we 
were  in  a  pitiable;  condition  —  hungry,  cold,  and  wet,  not  a 
dry  thing  in  the  boat.  The  ic(^  was  all  heaped  up  between  us 
and  Cape  York,  and  getting  through  it  was  an  impossibility. 
Uur  coal  was  nearly  all  gone,  and  wt;  had  yet  to  get  back  to 
the  ship.  I  had  to  decide  to  return,  and  had  we  not  been 
favored  by  a  breeze,  Ave  would  not  have  reached  here  yet.  As 
it  was,  when  we  met  the  Tigress  we  were  burning  pork  in  the 
furnace  to  get  into  Tessi-T^ssak. 

Captain   IJi'aine  and  all   hands  seemed  overjoyed  ;t  us 

back.  It  appeared  when  the  'I'igress  met  the  Juniata  at 
Upernavik,  (^aptain  Tyson,  who  was  one  of  the  survivoi's 
picked  up  on  the:  ice-floe,  expressed  the  oi)inion  that  we  were 
as  good  as  lost  if  we  met  any  bad  weather,  and  that  set  every- 
body to  thinking  very  seriously  how  perilous  a  journey  we 
had  undevtakcMi.  What  the  people  on  board  the  Tigress  could 
not  understand  was  my  volunteering  for  the  expediticm,  and 
many  sad  shakes  of  the  head  and  sayings  of  "  Poor  De  Long" 
showed  how  little  they  expected  to  see  me  back.  When  the 
Juniata  sighted  us  returning,  the  ship  was  wild  with  excite- 
ment, the  men  manning  the  rigging  and  cheering  us  until  we 
came  alongside.  When  T  stepped  over  the  side  so  buried  in 
furs  as  to  be  almost  invisible,  they  made  as  much  ^^mss  over  me 
as  if  I  had  risen  from  the  dead,  and  when  the  captain  shook 
hands  with  me,  he  was  trembling  from  head  to  foot. 


i; 

il;- 

1   -     ,  ' 
1.        , 

■  i     ', 

i    1 

J 

if   . 

The  Junuita  returned  to  St.  John's,  Nowfoundhmd, 


'I'irK   COMMANDKl!    OF    THK    KXI'KDIIK  »N. 


37 


Wll 


ItOllt  I 


iiiviii«i;  ^-a 


iiu'd 


ill! 


y 


liirtl 


UT    111 


tell 


i<;tMi('<»   () 


I'  tl 


H> 


I'lil'iris,  and  altiioiit-li  it  was  SepteiiilKT,  Captain  IJraine 
eive<l  orders  to  return    to  (Ireenland,  on   the  sanu; 


ii'( 


rV 


iiiid.  Tiie  ship  had  just  started  when  a  telegram 
n'iichcd  tiie  United  States  consul,  countermanding  the 
.limiata's  sailing  orders,  since  the  Polaris'  civw  ha<l  heen 
picked  up  and  rescued  by  the  whaler  Arctic,  Captain 
Adams,  and  had  heen  taken  to  Scotland.  The  consul 
Iiiri'd  a  tug,  steamed  alter  the  Juniata,  overtook  Ii'm-. 
1111(1  communicated  the  pleasant  tidings.  Tiie  vessel 
shortly  alter  returned  to  New  York,  and  Lieutenant 
De  Long  wrote  to  the  Department  tendering  his  ser- 
vices in  event  ol"  another  Arctic  expedition.  His  in- 
(loiiiitablc  energy,  strong  will,  and  passion  lor  overcom- 
ing obstacles,  all  tended  to  develop  in  him  that  Arctic 
fever,  which  so  olten  fastens  upon  oiu'  who  has  once 
known  the  excitement,  dilliculty,  and  peril  of  northern 
exploration. 

The  courage  and  persistence  which  he  showed  upon 
the  boat  journey  were  cretlentials  of  great  value,  and 
the  personal  attraction  which  he  exerted  was  to  be  a 
])o\verful  aid  in  overcoming  obstacles.  These  qualities 
will  appear  in  the  fuller  narrative  of  his  experience  in 
his  great  voyage,  iUthough,  since  the  narrative  is  from 
liis  own  hand,  the  reader  may  sometimes  fail  to  meas- 
ure the  dejii-ree  of  his  heroism.  Something  of  hi.s 
power  of  endurance  may  be  Iciinied  from  a  little  in- 
cident which  befell  him  a  few  years  after  the  events 
just  related. 

it  was  when  he  was  executive  ofticer  of  the  School 
Ship  St.  Mary's,  and  was  working  the  ship  np  the  Tagus 
lUver,  Portugal.  He  was  standing  on  a  horse-block 
(a  slight  elevation  on  each  side  of  the  deck)  when  a 
rope  fell  from  aloft.     Fearing  it  might  injure  a  stand- 


n  uf'  - 


38 


THE    \  :)YAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


Il 


( 


ill  ii 


'ii,    'I 


i!( 


is  : 


fi 


■     , 

1  ;     •■ 

jr- 

ing  compass,  wUicli  it  probably  would  strike  on  its  de- 
scent, he  sprang  to  catch  it,  and  instead  of  alighting 
on  the  deck  as  he  expected,  he  came  down  on  a  coil 
of  rope,  and  turned  his  right  ankle  under  him.  The 
pain  was  excruciating,  and  as  he  was  on  the  point  of 
fainting,  he  went  below,  where  the  doctor  revived  him, 
and  he  returned  again  to  the  deck.  It  was  ten  in  the 
morning  when  the  accident  occurred,  and  he  stood  and 
worked  the  ship  up  the  river  to  Lisbon  until  four  in 
the  afternoon,  when  his  agony  became  so  intense  that 
he  was  obliged  to  go  below.  His  duty  was  done,  how- 
ever. The  doctor  examined  his  foot  and  found  it  in 
a  dreadful  condition.  One  of  the  bones  of  the  ankle 
was  broken,  and  the  edges  had  been  grating  and  break- 
uvj:  for  the  six  hours  he  had  been  walkini?  about  on  it. 
The  hot  climate  of  Lisbon  and  of  the  return  trip  were 
naturally  unfavorable  to  a  rapid  recovery,  but  the  per- 
fect health  and  vigorous  constitution,  wdiich  he  had 
kept  unimpaired,  were  his  allies,  and  he  was  left  with 
no  stiffness  of  the  ankle  and  no  ill  effects.  He  attended 
to  his  duty  as  usual  after  two  weeks'  rest,  and  the  cai'- 
penter,  Nindemann,  made  for  him  a  pair  of  crutches, 
upon  which  he  hobbled  about  and  took  his  watch  as  if 
nothing  had  hfippened. 

The  courage  and  endurance  which  he  displayed  under 
difficulties  and  trials  were  qualities  of  a  nature  which 
was  superabundant  in  joyousness  and  activity.  His  ad- 
ventures at  sea  and  on  land  were  full  of  incident,  and 
often  offere.l  the  most  amusing  s'tualions.  While  in 
Lisbon,  in  18G7,  a  grand  performance  at  the  Opera  was 
to  take  place.  The  king  and  queen,  the  court,  and  all 
the  officers  off  duty  of  the  various  fleets  lying  in  the 
harbor,  were  in  atten  lance.  Between  the  acts,  Mr.  Do 
Long  and  several  of  his  friends  were  introduce*!  behind 


THE  COMMANDER  OF   THE  EXPEDITION. 


39 


the  scenes.  Seeing  the  prima  donna  come  upon  the 
,-;tiige  from  an  opposite  wing,  Mr.  De  Long  picked  up  a 
hirge  pasteboard  bouquet,  which  was  one  of  the  stage 
niopc'ties,  and  raarshaUng  his  friends  in  a  Une  behind 
liiin,  advanced  to  meet  her.  She  made  some  motions 
which  he  failed  to  understand,  and  with  his  hand  upon 
his  heart  and  his  best  bow  he  tendered  the  gigantic 
houquet.     Just  tiien  a  perfect  shout  went  up  from  the 

De  Lon": !  "  were 


audience,  and  cries  of  "  De  Long  i 


'o 


heard.  He  looked  around  in  bewilderment  before  he 
took  in  the  situation.  His  friends  had  abandoned  him, 
the  curtain  had  gone  up,  and  he  was  playing  his  little 
piece  before  the  great  audience.  It  is  scarcely  neces- 
sary to  add  that  he  made  his  exit  without  the  slight- 
est ceremony. 

Another  amusing  incident  in  Lisbon  arose  out  of  a 
waiter  between  Mr.  De  Long  and  another  officer  as  to 
who  could  do  the  most  with  a  horse  in  a  circus  ring. 
Neither  gentleman  was  a  horseman;  what  sailor  isV 
but  they  were  equally  bold.  Their  first  proposal  was 
to  ride  standing  upon  a  pad,  but  the  ring-master  to 
whom  they  applied  wj  ild  not  give  his  consent.  He 
had  once  grinted  such  a  request  for  a  similar  purpose, 
and  brought  upon  himself  a  severe  rebuke  when  one 
of  the  parties,  a  young  German  nobleman,  was  seri- 
ously injured.  He  would  give  the  officers  each  a  sad- 
dled horse,  and  let  them  test  their  horsemanship  to 
their  hearts'  content.  So  they  went  through  various 
evolutions  equally  well,  and  jumped  some  low  hurdles, 
but  neither  could  be  proved  to  have  outdone  the  other. 
Finally  the  ring-master  stepped  forward  and  said  :  — 

"  There  is  but  one  thing  more  I  can  suggest  to  de- 
cide the  wager,  and  that  is  for  each  in  succession  to 
ride  nito  the  stable,  take  a  turn  round,  come  down  the 


i:; 


irr 


40 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  11  IE  ,FE ANNETTE. 


I    m 


inclined  plane,  and  jump  over  this  five-barred  gate  into 
the  ring." 

This  was  agreed  to.  Mr.  De  Long's  companion,  be- 
ing senior  in  rank,  was  to  make  tlie  first  attempt.  He 
made  his  turn  of  the  stable,  came  down  the  inclined 
plane,  took  the  gate,'  and  landed  grncefully  in  the  saw- 
dust a  few  feet  in  advance  of  his  horse.  When  Mr.  De 
Long's  turn  came,  he  resolved  to  die  or  conquer.  He 
rode  round  the  stable,  camo  down  the  inclined  plane  at 
a  gallop,  tightened  his  knees  against  the  horse's  flanks, 
and  shut  his  eyes.  To  use  his  own  words  :  ''  When  the 
horse  sprang  for  the  leaj)  it  seemed  as  if  I  had  started 
for  the  sky.  1  shut  my  eyes  tight,  and  my  next  sensa- 
tion was  that  of  being  struck  by  an  eartlupiake.  When 
the  animal  landed  in  the  rint!;,  I  wa^  clutchini''  hold  of 
his  mane  frantically ;  and  when  1  opened  my  eyes,  I 
was  away  up  the  horse's  neck,  almost  on  his  ears,  but 
I  was  there,  and  the  Wiiti'er  was  decided  in  mv  favor." 

In  his  intercourse  with  his  associates,  and  es})ecially 
with  the  men  and  boys  under  his  command,  he  showed 
an  unfailing  courtes^^  and  kindness,  while  he  was  inex- 
orable in  his  maintenance  of  discipline.  A  slight  in- 
stance of  his  kindness  is  shown  in  the  foUowinii;  inci- 
dent.  One  rough,  cold  and  windy  October  night,  he 
was  sailing  a  boat  in  Lon!"-  Island  Sound  with  a  crew  of 
St.  Marj^'s  boys.  Nofing  that  one  of  them  had  become 
wet  from  salt-water  washing  over  him,  Mr.  De  Long 
quickly  took  off  his  own  coat  and  handed  it  to  the  boy, 
telling  him  to  put  it  on.  The  lad  hesitated  at  accept- 
ing such  a  sacrifice  from  his  otficei*,  but  the  stern  com- 
mand, '•  Do  as  you  are  bid,  young  man,"  .soon  caused 
the  boy  to  obey. 

"  I  can  only  say,"  Mr.  De  Long  once  wroie,  ""  that 
with  men  I  never  allow  any  argument.     Were  ollicers 


THE  COM.MANDER  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


41 


and  men  to  argue  each  order  before  carrying  it  into 
execution,  there  would  be  an  end  to  dIseipHne.  I  never 
ask  a  man  to  do  anything  that  I  would  not  do  myself, 
and  on  one  occasion  I  led  them  aloft  when  they  hesi- 
tated to  obey  an  order  on  the  score  of  danger.  With 
firmness  I  can  yet  be  kind,  and  I  always  had  my  men 
contented  and  comfortable.  1  have  no  hesitation  in 
saying  that  I  believe  any  men  who  have  sailed  with  me 
would  go  willingly  again." 

One  of  his  associates  on  the  St.  Mary's,  recalling  that 
earlier  experience,  has  written  :  — 

"  A  few  days  sifter  the  appearance  of  the  newspaper  notice 
of  Lieutenant  De  Long's  orders  to  the  New  Yoi'k  Nautical 
School  Ship  St.  Mai-y's,  one  of  the  inquisitive  marine  aspirants  re- 
marked to  one  of  his  chums,  '  I  wonder  what  sort  of  a  chap 
that  fellow  De  Long  is  who  is  coming  here  '! ' 

"  He  soon  learned  that  '  that  fellow  De  Long'  was  a  perfect 
master  of  the  situation,  always  equal  to  the  various  and  often 
trying  emergencies  at  sea  and  in  port.  His  courtesy  to  all  and 
interest  in  the  boys  took  away  the  hardness  of  his  rigid  dis- 
cipline. 

"  When  questioned  by  a  reporter,  '  Are  the  oilicers  kind  to 
you  ? '  a  lad  of  fifteen  replied,  '  They  are  as  kind  as  tliey  can 
be,  and  when  we  were  at  sea  they  treated  us  better  than  when 
we  were  near  land.  We  liked  them  for  that.  There 's  Cap- 
tain Phythiaii,  and  Wadleigh,  and  De  Long,  and  all  of  them  ; 
tliey  are  as  nice  as  they  make  tliem.' 

"  FroiU  thai-  estimate  to  the  high  tribute  which  the  gradu- 
ates and  members  of  the  Nautical  School  have  recently  paid  to 
the  memory  of  De  Long,  no  moment  is  wanting  when  he  has 
not  been  looked  up  to  and  honored  as  a  man  not  only  of  rare 
heroism  but  f)f  eminent  fitness  for  the  works  he  has  been  se- 
lected to  perform." 


CHAPTER   11. 


PREPARATIONS    FOR  THE   EXPEDITION. 


l! 

;i 

j 

t; 

i  > 


Conversation  with  Mr.  Grinnell.  —  Proposal  to  Mr.  Bennett. — Mr. 
liennett's  Response.  —  Delay  in  Plans.  —  Search  for  a  Suitable 
Vessel.  —  Purcliase  of  the  Pandora.  —  Sketch  of  Operations.  — 
Dr.  Petermann's  Views.  —  Lieutenant  De  Long  repairs  to  Englatiii. 

—  Balloon  Ascensions.  —  Tiie   Pandora   renamed    the   Jeannette. 

—  Lieutenant  Dauenhower  joins  the  Ship.  —  the  Voyage  to  San 
Francisco.  —  Action  of  Congress.  —  Survey  of  the  Ship.  —  Inter- 
view with  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  —  Alterations  of  the  Jeannette. 

—  Considerations  of  P^conomy.  —  Captain  De  Long's  Labors.  — 
The  Officers  of  the  Party.  —  The  Crew.  —  Advice  from  Outsiders. 

—  Orders  for  the  Expedition.  —  Mr.  Bennett's  Farewell.  —  Outlook. 

WiiEX  the  Juniata  was  orlered  to  the  coast  of  Green- 
land, Lieutenant  De  Long  called  upoM  Mr.  Henry  Grin- 
nell, of  New  York,  to  obtain  from  him  any  information 
w^iich  his  long  connection  with  Arctic  explorations 
could  afford.  Mr.  Grinnell  offered  the  use  of  charts 
which  had  been  employed  on  the  several  expeditions 
he  had  fitted  out,  and  upon  the  return  of  the  Juniata 
Lieutenant  De  Long  restored  these  charts  to  Mr.  Grin- 
nell, and  acquainted  him  with  his  own  experience.  Tlie 
two  held  a  long  talk  upon  Arctic  subjects,  and  shortly 
after  Lieutenant  De  Long  dined  at  Mr.  Grinnell's  in 
company  with  Dr.  Bessells  and  other  Arctic  voyagers. 
At  this  dinner  Mr.  De  Long  asked  Mr.  Grinnell :  — 

"  Why  do  you  not  fit  cut  an  expedition  to  the  North 
Pole  ?  I  should  like  much  to  take  command  of  one 
and  solve  the  problem.  You  have  tried  so  often  you 
ought  to  try  again." 


PREPAIIATIONS   FOR   THE   EXPEUITION. 


43 


"  I  am  too  old  a  man,"  replied  Mr.  Grinnell,  "  and  I 
have  done  my  share.  Younger  men  must  take  the 
matter  in  hand.  There  is  Mr.  James  Gordon  Bennett, 
lie  is  the  man  to  undertake  such  an  expedition.  You 
should  apply  to  him." 

It  was  the  first  day  of  November,  1873,  when  this 
conversation  occurred,  and  Mr.  De  Long  acted  promptly 
on  the  hint,  and  wrote  to  Mr.  Bennett,  who  was  then  in 
Paris.  Mr.  Bennett  had  already  considered  such  an 
expedition,  and  made  a  courteous  reply,  but  upon  his 
return  to  this  country  early  in  1874,  a  personal  inter- 
view with  his  correspondent  convinced  him  at  once 
that  the  most  important  element  in  the  expedition,  the 
man  to  command,  was  found.  Mr.  De  Long  in  his  let- 
ter had  named  Lieutenant  Chipp,  his  companion  on  the 
Little  Juniata,  as  one  whom  he  should  like  to  have  as- 
sociated with  him,  and  from  the  first  Mr.  Bennett  re- 
garded him  as  Mr.  De  Long's  right  hand  man. 

The  matter  rested  until  near  the  end  of  November, 
1870.  There  had  been,  it  will  be  remembered,  some 
complications  with  Spain  which  at  one  tune  made  war 
seem  possible,  and  it  was  inexpedient  to  consider  the 
expedition  under  such  circumstances.  Mr.  De  Long 
was  detached  from  the  Juniata  in  January,  1874,  and 
ordered  to  the  Brooklyn,  with  which  he  remained  till 
near  the  end  of  the  year,  when  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Nautical  School  Ship  St.  Mary's,  which  was  com- 
missioned by  the  United  States  Navy,  but  was  under 
the  supervision  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  New  York 
city. 

In  November,  1876,  Mr.  Bennett  and  Lieutenant  De 
Long  resumed  their  consideration  of  the  expedition, 
and  it  was  determined  to  look  for  a  vessel  with  all  pos- 
sible dispatch,  and  to  start  for  the  North  Pole  the  fol- 


44 


rilE    VOYAGE   OF   THE  JEANNETTE. 


M  1: 


1 


lowing  summer.  Inquiries  were  made  in  all  available 
quarters  lor  an  American  vessel,  but  none  could  be 
found ;  and  in  December  Lieutenant  De  Long  obtained 
a  two  months'  leave  of  absence  from  the  St.  Mary's  and 
went  to  England  on  the  same  errand.  It  was  expected 
that  Mr.  Beimett  would  join  him  shortly,  but  he  was 
detained  in  America  until  just  before  the  expiration  of 
Lieutenant  De  Long's  leave  of  absence,  when  he  joined 
him  in  London. 

Meanwhile  Lieutenant  De  Long  personally,  and 
through  confidential  agents,  was  employed  in  diligent 
search  for  a  vessel.  Special  effort  was  made  at  the 
northern  ports  from  which  sealers  and  whalers  were 
sent  out,  and  he  was  const  mtly  examining  such  vessels 
as  seemed  to  give  promise  of  fitness,  but  the  difficul- 
ties seemed  to  increase.  Poor  vessels  were  offered  at 
high  prices ;  good  ships  the  owners  would  not  sell,  as 
whalebone  was  so  high  that  one  cruise  to  the  Arctic 
more  than  paid  the  first  cost  of  a  vessel.  The  only 
suitable  one  which  seemed  to  be  in  the  market  was  the 
Pandora,  onned  by  Sir  Allen  Young  who  used  her  as  a 
pleasure  yacht  in  trips  to  the  Arctic  regions.  Sir  Allen 
was  indifferent  to  the  sale,  and  the  purchase  had  not 
been  effected  when  Mr.  Bennett  arrived  in  London. 
Mr.  Bennett  wished  Lieutenant  De  Long  to  ask  an 
extension  of  his  leave  of  absence,  but  this  would  have 
worked,  at  the  time,  so  much  injustice  to  the  officers 
of  the  St.  Marv's  that  Lieutenant  De  Long  refused  to 
make  the  application  and  returned  to  America. 

During  the  season  that  followed  a  constant  and  vigi- 
lant watch  was  kept  up,  but  the  Pandora  continued  to 
be  by  far  the  most  available  vessel.  Sir  Allen  himself 
was  an  explorer  of  note.  He  was  with  xVdmiral  Mc- 
CUntock  when  the  lirst  records  of  the  Franklin  expedi- 


available 
could   be 

obtained 
^rj's  and 
expected 
t  he  was 
ration  of 
le  joined 

Ijj    and 
diligent 

at  the 
rs  were 

vessels 
difficul- 
ered  at 
sell,  as 
'  Arctic 
»e  only 
vas  the 
er  as  a 
:*  Allen 
Eld  not 
on don. 
sk   an 

have 
'fficers 
sed  to 


Vlgl- 

led  to 

mself 

Mc- 

pcdi- 


flf 


m 


•    s 


i 


I! 


r'i 


it 


I  I 


ruRi'AKAi  loxs  row  Tiir-:  KxiMiinriDx. 


46 


tion  wore  found,  and  luid  made  a  nunibiT  of  svihsoquont 
voyagi's.  Thii  Pandom  was  a  vosstd  in  whicli  lie  took 
jiToat  pride,  as  he  had  purelmsud  her  expressly  foi- 
Arctic  expeditions,  and  had  tested  her  well  on  such 
voyages.  He  parted  with  the  vessel  to  Mr.  Bennett 
under  a  sudden  impulse,  and  then  regretted  his  loss  so 
keenly  that  even  after  the  vessel  was  j-eady  for  sea  he 
made  ineffectual  efforts  to  recover  her. 

Lieutenant  Do  Long  was  attached  to  the  St.  Marv's 
in  New  York  harhor,  as  executive  oflicer,  when  he 
received  news  of  the  purchase  of  the  Pandora.  He 
innnediately  resigned  his  position  and  secured  a  six 
months'  leave  of  ahsence.  Pending  further  word  from 
Mr.  Bennett,  he  wrote  him  at  length,  January  25, 187^, 
giving  his  views  of  the  course  to  be  pursued,  and  the 
letter  is  interesting  as  showing  the  comprehensiveness 
of  the  plans  which  he  formed  and  the  promptness  with 
which  he  acted  :  — 


•'  Since  rcooiitt  of  inforniiitioii  on  the  ITtli  inst.,  tliafc  you 
liiid  purcliasi'd  the  Pandora,  I  liave  been  momentarily  expect- 
ing a  summons  to  join  you  in  England.  .Acting  upon  youi* 
notification  to  get  six  months"  leave  immediately,  I  secured  the 
necessai'v  permission  from  the  Department  upon  tendering  my 
resignation  as  executive  otHcer  of  the  St.  Mary's.  Obtaining 
a  leave  of  absence  for  a  second  time  from  that  vessel  was,  as 
I  had  ])rcviously  informed  you,  out  of  the  questicm.  By  dint 
of  extraordinary  exertion  I  secured  my  release  within  forty- 
eight  houra  of  my  knoAving  you  wished  me  to  get  six  months' 
leave,  and  I  have  since  that  tiuu»,  remained  with  trunks  packed 
ready  to  sail.   .   .   . 

'■  There  are  three  ways  for  us  to  send  the  expedition, 
Smith's  Sound,  Behring  Strait  and  east  coast  of  Greenland. 
Of  the  three  I  am  in  favor  of  Behriug  Strait,  though  some- 
thing can  be  said  in  behalf  of  the  east  coast  of  Greenland. 
Professor  Nordenskjlild  has  I'eceived  some    information   from 


w- 


46 


THE   VOYAGE   OF  THE  .TEANXETTE. 


our  Ilydrograpliic  (^fJico  in  ri'lutioii  to  I{i'liriii<^  Strait,  and  a 
copy  of  tlii.s  inl'ornmtion  will  be  t'urnislictl  ua.  \Vu  may  btj 
able  to  at'coniijlish  nuicli  by  way  of  Hclirinj^  Strait  by  leaving 
San  Francisco  aa  lati^  a.s  .Inly  Ist,  but  1  woukl  like  to  bo  ready 
by  June  Ist  or  lOtli.  My  o[)inion  may  bo  changed  by  whac 
you  have  heard  from  Dr.  Pctorniann,  but  as  you  have  not 
told  mo  what  that  was  1  cannot  say  now. 

"Now  I  wish  to  submit  the  following  points  to  you  for  your 
action.  It  is  highly  important  that  I  should  be  in  England  to 
see  the  Pamlora  repaired,  and  got  ready  for  sea.  A  small 
omission  now  may  cost  us  the  success  of  the  expedition  in 
the  end.  Chl[)p  sliould  be  recalled  from  China  by  cablu  '^t 
one(\  and  if  you  think  favorably  of  my  suggestions,  be  or- 
dered to  take  the  I'andoi-a  around  the  Horn.  Upon  the  pas- 
sage of  the  bill  transferring  the  ship  to  the  American  flag, 
there  should  be  a  measure  introduced  and  put  through  Con- 
gress, authorizing  the  vessel  to  be  commanded  and  olhcored 
partially  or  entirely  by  naval  officers,  the  pennant  of  a  na- 
tional vessel  hoisted  at  the  main,  the  crew  a'npi)ed  subject  to 
naval  rules  and  discipline,  and  the  President  empowered  to 
cimfer  such  additional  authoritv  .ipon  the  commandinsx  officer 
as  will  render  him  able  in  his  isolated  position  to  enforce  dis- 
cipline in  extreme  emergencies.  Then  I  want  an  order  from 
the  President  in  something  like  the  following  words :  '  You 
are  hereby  oidered  to  comuuind  the  expedition  now  being  pre- 
pared and  fitted  out  by  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Esq.,  of  New 
York,  for  the  purpose  of  North  Polar  explorations ;  and  you 
will  rept)rt  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  for  said  duty  and  for 
such  detailed  assistance  as  you  require.' 

"  The  assistance  of  the  Treasury  Department  should  be  in- 
voked to  order  its  agent  in  Alaska  to  provide;  seal-skin  cloth- 
ing for  about  thirty-five  people,  in  height  from  fi^  ana  ilf 
to  six  feet,  and  to  secure  say  forty  dogs,  an"  lect,  if  pos- 

sible, about  one  hundred  tons  of  coal.  .se  of  the  S  n 

Francisco  navy  yard  and  dry  dock  should  asked  *'or.  'ine 
memorial  to  Congress  should  ask  that  the  uilfer  nt  de])art- 
ments  of  the  Goverinnent  bo  authorized  to  aid  and  assist  us  in 
every  way ;  to  provide  us  vnth  all  instruments  and  appurte- 


PUEPAIJATIOX?;  FOR   TIIK  EXPEDITION. 


47 


imncps,  stores  uml  outlita,  which  might  then  be  in  government 
possession." 

This  lettcM'  nlst;  contniuod  ostiuiates  of  the  expense 
»i  tlie  expedition  on  a  tliroe  years'  cruise. 

The  reference  to  Mr.  Bennett's  correspondence  with 
Dr.  Petermann  rcciills  an  earher  visit  to  the  German 
geographer  wliich  Mr.  IJonnett  had  maile  in  March, 
1877,  and  of  wliich  he  wrote  to  Lieutenant  De 
Long :  — 

"  I  have  just  returned  from  a  hurried  trip  to  Gothfi,  on  a 
visit  to  J)r.  Peterniiinn.  You  have  no  doubt  heard  of  him  by 
rep'tation.  It  was  he  wlio  originated  the  two  German  Arctic 
expeditions,  I  can  assure  you  the  three  hours  1  spent  with 
him  fidly  repaid  me  the  tiresome  trip  to  (iotha.  lie  told  me 
lie  liad  been  studying  the  North  Pole  problem  for  the  last 
thirty  years,  and  that  he  feels  certain  it  can  be  reached,  but 
never,  he  said,  by  Smith's  Sound  or  Ballin's  liay.  He  agreed 
with  me  that  the  English  held  to  this  route  simply  from  pride, 
and  because  they  were  the  first  (so  to  say)  to  go  that  way. 
He  also  agreed  with  me,  and  if  I  remend)er  correctly,  it  is 
your  theory  also,  that  the  Pole  can  only  be  reached  by  a  dash, 
and  he  even  goes  further  than  we  do  in  this  theory,  for  he 
says  it  can  be  done  in  one  sunnner,  and  that  with  a  suitable 
vessel  and  commander  experienced  in  ice  navigation,  he  would 
himself  try  the  experiment  for  a  three  months'  cruisi*.  Of 
course,  this  bars  being  nipped  in  tlie  ice,  just  as  his  doctorship 
would  be  about  ]ireparing  to  return  on  his  homeward  voyage. 
He  also  said  that  iUl  the  authorities  in  England  agree  now 
that  the  Pole  will  never  be  reached  by  sledges.  Dr.  Peter- 
mann  even  goes  so  far  as  to  say  that  wintering  in  the  Arctic 
regions  is  a  mistake  if  you  can  in  any  way  help  it,  and  that 
if  his  route  were  taken  it  could  be  reached  in  the  three  sum- 
mer months,  or  not  at  all.  Said  he :  '  From  all  mv  informa- 
tion,  I  find  that  it  is  the  second  wintei',  and  not  the  first,  men 
most  suffer  in  the  -iVrctic  regions,  and  strange  as  it  may  appear, 
men  from  southern  climes,  such  as  Italians  or  Greeks,  have 


pp 


48 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE 


withstood  Mic  rigors  ot'  an  Arctic  winter  bettei-  than  North- 
men, such  as  Danes  and  Swedes.'  1  liave  boen  seriously 
thinking  ot"  getting  another  vessel  in  addition  to  tlie  one  you 
Avill  have,  and  start-ing  myself  by  Dr.  Peterniaini's  route.  Of . 
course,  if  I  did  so  I  should  expect  to  be  out  all  winter,  as  I  don't 
quite  agree  with  t  le  Doctor  about  his  three  months'  idea."' 

Noi  long  after  flispatcliing  lils  letter  Lieutenant  De 
Long-  crossed  to  England  to  superintend  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  Pandora,  since  renamed  the  Jeannetto,  for 
the  Arctic  expedition.  He  visited  the  yacht  at  South- 
ampton as  soon  as  he  arrived,  and  after  careful  exam- 
ination telegraphed  to  Mr.  Bennett,  who  was  in  Leices- 
tershire, that  it  would  be  impossible  to  repair  the 
Jeannette  and  get  her  ready  for  sea  early  enough  to 
permit  the  expedition  to  start  that  year  for  the  north 
by  Beliring  Strait,  though  it  would  be  possible  to  go 
either  l)y  the  Spitzbergen  route  or  by  the  east  coast  of 
Greenland.  The  Behring  Strait  route,  however,  had 
by  this  time  become  finnly  fixed  in  the  minds  both  of 
Mr.  Bennett  and  of  Lieutenant  De  Long,  and  it  was 
determined,  therefore,  to  procecnl  with  the  repairs  of 
the  Jeannette,  to  send  her  roinid  the  Horn  to  San 
Francisco,  and  be  ready  to  start  for  the  north  early  in 
the  summer  of  1879. 

TliJ  reasons  which  determined  the  course  of  the  ex- 
ploration, besides  the  failures  from  other  points,  were, 
in  brief,  the  existence  of  the  Japan  current,  ilowing 
through  Behring  Strait  to  the  north,  and  the  supposed 
extent  of  Wrangel  Land.  It  was  hoped  that  the  warm 
waters  of  the  current  woidd  open  a,  way,  possibly  to 
the  Pole.  The  experience  of  whalers  was  that  ^vhen- 
ever  tliey  had  been  obliged  to  abandon  their  vessels 
in  these  regions,  the  vessels  had  been  drifted  north- 
ward, and  the  inference  was  that  the  currents  generally 


1  XVilil  i\X\/^  1  lK'^^ 


S   Foil   THE   EXPEDITION. 


49 


llowGcl  in  that  direction.  This  would  help  explorers  to 
make  a  high  latitude,  though  it  would,  for  the  same 
reason,  increase  the  difficulties  ol"  return.  On  the  sup- 
position that  Wrangel  Land,  now  known  to  be  a  small 
island,  was  a  vast  continental  tract,  it  was  expected  that 
the  Jeannette,  in  accordance  with  settled  principles  of 
Polar  exploration,  would  follow  its  coast  line  to  tlie 
north.  When  the  vessel  could  work  no  further,  sledge 
expeditions  were  to  start  out  along  the  ice-foot  to  make 
a  still  higher  latitude.  Dr.  Petermann,  indeed,  sup- 
posed Wrangel  Land  to  stretch  ti  cross  tiie  Pole  and 
to  reappear  as  Greenland  of  the  Western  continent. 
Added  to  these  considerations  was  the  comparative 
novelty  of  this  course,  which  would  render  the  expe- 
dition fruitful  in  observation  and  discovery,  even  if  it 
failed  of  its  main  object. 

Among  the  schemes  wliicli  were  brought  forward  in 
connection  with  this,  as  with  other  Arctic  expeditions, 
was  that  of  balloon  ascensions,  and  though  in  the  im- 
perfect state  of  the  aeronautic  art,  even  under  the  best 
conditions,  there  seemed  to  be  little  chance  of  any 
practicable  use  of  balloons  in  the  Polar  regions,  both 
Mr.  Bennett  and  Lieutenant  De  Long  made  the  most 
careful  and  thorough  examination  of  the  subject  before 
finally  relincpiishing  the  scheme.  Mr.  Bennett's  secre- 
tary in  England,  writing  to  Lieutenant  De  Long  on  the 
subject,  says  :  — 

•'  I  have  written  to  Paris  co  inquire  co.acevniniij  the  balloon 
material,  etc.,  as  you  request.  Mai-kham  and  Hull  were  not 
niucli  inclined  to  put  any  faitli  in  balloons.  Markhani  said  he 
would  consider  an  exploration  by  that  method  as  simple  mad- 
ness, us  the  balloonist  would  be  unable  to  carry  with  him  the 
rijcaiis  of  returning,  aid  would  be  certain  to  perish  before  he 
could  get  back.     As  a  means  of  making  observations  from  a 


1 


|i 


I; 
I 


jl-l; 


I!   : 

h 


1 1 


60 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEAXNETTE. 


heiglit  above  the  vessel  or  its  vicinity,  he  thought  a  captive 
balloon  might  be  useful  if  not  too  dithcult  to  carry  and  inflate. 
He  did  not  think  it  would  be  of  the  shghtest  service  in  sledg- 
ing." 

In  response  to  the  inquiry  made  in  Paris,  a  report 
was  obtained  from  the  eminent  French  aeronaut,  M. 
Wilfrid  de  Fonvielle,  as  to  the  best  manner  of  preparing 
balloons  for  use  in  the  Pobir  regions;  and  as  a  contribu- 
tion to  science,  a  translation  of  the  report  is  printed  in 
Appendix  A. 

The  subject  had  first  been  broached  by  Lieutenant 
De  Long  to  Mr.  Bennett,  and  upon  receiving  the  above 
he  replied  :  "  In  Avrithig  to  you  on  the  subject  of  bal- 
loons I  did  not  intend  to  convey  the  impression  that  I 
favored  balloons  as  a  means  of  getting  to  the  Pole. 
I  believe  in  them  for  but  one  object,  and  that  is  to  get 
an  increased  height  above  a  ship  to  connnand  a  larger 
horizon.  A  favorable  occasion  niav  be  waited  foi',  and 
one  ascension  may  save  many  days'  wear}'^  work  ii\  a 
wrong  direction."  He  wrote  also  to  Mr.  Samuel  A. 
King,  the  aeronaut :  ''  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  take 
into  consideration  the  subject  of  an  Arctic  balloon  ?  I 
desire,  if  possible,  to  Ctuploy  a  balloon  (with  a  rope  at- 
taching it  to  the  ship)  for  the  purpose  of  commanding 
a  greater  \iv\v  in  order  to  select  water  channels  for  my 
vessel ;  and  to  have  the  lifting  power  applied  to  sledges 
and  their  loads  to  lessen  the  diiliculty  of  dragging  them 
over  floes  and  hummocks."  The  result  of  inquiries  is 
contained  in  a  subsequent  letter  from  Lieutenant  De 
Long  to  Mr.  Bennett :  — 

"  I  have  had  a  long  and  interesting  interview  with  Professor 
King,  the  'balloonist,"  and  I  am  forced  to  the  conclusion  that 
we  cannot  do  any  tiling  wiHi  balloons  in  Aretic  explorations. 
To  support  a  weight  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds  luunau 


PREPARATIONS   FOR  THE  EXPP:i)ITinN. 


61 


uliiig 


lodges 
them 

le.s  i> 
It  De 


lessor 
that 

tinns. 

IlllUlU 


flesli  (my  own  weight),  and  say  seventy  pounds  rope,  at  a 
height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  would  require  a  balloon 
about  twenty-two  feet  in  diameter,  according  to  Professor 
King.  To  fill  this  enormous  machine  requires  gas  generated 
from  coal,  or  gas  generated  from  the  action  of  sulphuric  acid 
on  iron  cuttings :  in  the  first  manner  we  should  require  a  coal 
mine  near  at  hand,  and  in  the  second  manner  we  should  need 
another  ship  to  carry  the  sulphuric  acid  and  iron  cuttings. 
The  second  plan  is  of  course  impracticable,  and  the  first  would 
come  in  merely  hi  case  we  strike  a  vein  of  coal  in  Kellett  (or 
Wrangel}  Land.  The  cost  of  a  balloon  would  be  between 
seven  hundred  and  eight  hundred  dollars,  and  under  the  cir- 
cumstances I  cannot  reconnnend  you  to  adopt  it  on  either  the 
score  of  usefulness  or  economy.  While  we  were  digging  out 
coal  enough  to  float  the  balloon,  we  might  advance  twenty-five 
miles  with  sledges,  or  afoot,  and  reach  the  extreme  horizon  to 
be  seen  from  the  prospective  elevation." 

No  incidental  interests  of  this  kind  could  compare 
with  the  importance  attaching  to  the  condition  of  the 
Jeannette  herself,  and  the  commander  was  unremitting 
in  his  attention  to  the  preparations  made  in  the  spring 
and  early  summer  of  1878,  when  the  vessel  lay  in  the 
shipyard  at  Deptford.  Everything  was  done  which  his 
own  experience  and  that  of  professional  surveyors 
could  suggest  for  the  repair  and  strengthening  of  a 
vessel  already  well  built  and  equipped  for  Arctic  voy- 
ages. 

The  Jeannette  was  finally  ready  for  sea,  and  was 
taken  to  Cowes,  where  she  sliipped  her  crew  and  then 
crossed  the  channel  to  Havre,  where  she  arrived  June 
18,  1878.  She  lay  at  Havre  for  a  month,  during  which 
time  she  was  inspected  l)y  many  visitors,  and  the  com- 
mander con;-^:l2*^«d  his  equipment  of  charts,  ])ooks,  and 
stores.  On  the  4tli  of  July  the  vessel  was  formally 
christened.     Mr.  Bennett  sailed  for  New  York  on  tlie 


52 


THE  vuya(;e  of  the  jeannette. 


It? 


i  m  ■ 


6th,  and  the  Jeannette  aceomptuiietl  him  a  short  dis- 
tance on  his  way  and  then  returned  to  tlie  basin,  leav- 
ing Havre  lor  San  Francisco  July  15,  1878. 

Captain  De  Long  was  in  connuand.  and  had  with  him 
his  wife  and  child.  Master  John  W.  Dancnhower  went 
with  lihn  as  executive  olhccr.  He  had  been  attached 
to  the  U.  S.  Steamer  Yandalia,  which  was  conveying 
(jeneral  Grant  and  his  party  from  port  to  port  in  the 
Mediterranean.  The  A^andalia  Avas  stationed  at  Smyrna 
when  the  news  ceime  of  the  proposed  expedition,  and 


Mr.  Danenbower  oflbred  his  services  to  Mr.  Bennett. 
General  (Jrant  seconded  his  a])plication,  and  Mr.  Ben- 
nett accepted  him,  provided  Captain  De  Long  should 
give  his  consent,  which  he  did.  Mr.  Danenbower  was 
detached  from  the  Yandalia  and  joined  Captain  De 
Long  in  Havre  just  before  the  Joaiuiette  sailed. 
Two  of  the  ship's  company,  John  Cole,   boatswain, 


PUEPAKATIOXS  FOR  THE  EXPEDITION. 


53 


R'tt. 

5en- 

)iild 

Iwas 

De 


and  Alfred  Sweetinan,  carpenter,  were  also  of  the  num- 
ber who  went  to  the  north.  They  had  .served  on  Mr. 
Jiennett's  yachts,  and  the  former  especially  received 
the  liighest  praise  from  him.  "  You  will  find  Jack 
Cole,"  he  writes,  "  one  of  the  best  sailors  you  ever 
have  had  under  you.  In  times  of  danger  he  's  worth 
his  weight  in  gold,  and  his  tact  with  men  is  won- 
derful.'- 

The  voyage  to  San  Francisco  was  a  hundred  and 
sixt3'-five  days,  and  dining  the  passage  not  one  from 
the  ship  set  foot  ashore,  though  the  Jeannette  anchored 
three  times  in  different  bays  of  the  Straits  of  Magellan. 
One  little  incident  of  the  voyage  may  be  recorded. 
When  off  the  coast  of  Braz'I,  and  a  hundred  miles  from 
any  land,  two  little  birds  ilew  on  board  the  ship  to 
rest ;  one  was  a  tomtit  and  the  other  a  field  lark. 
They  had  evidently  been  blown  off  shore  by  a  "'ale  of 
wind.  They  showed  no  fear  but  refused  to  eat  any- 
thing, though  everything  in  the  shape  of  grain  which 
the  ship  contained  was  offered  t(j  them,  and  even  some 
lively  cheese,  which  might  be  a  special  inducement  to 
insectivorous  birds.  They  would  take  no  nourishment 
at  all,  and  the  tomtit  died  of  hunger  and  exhaustion. 
The  steward,  a  Swiss,  composed  souie  verses  upon  his 
melancholy  fate,  ;iud  these,  witlt  the  latitude  and  longi- 
tude, were  put  with  the  little  tomtit  into  a  bottle,  which 
was  addressed  inside  to  the  '•  New  York  Herald  "  and 
thrown  overboard.  It  has  not  yet  reached  its  destina- 
tion. The  field  lark  tlew  out  of  the  cabin  door,  left  open 
by  accident,  and  could  not  be  recovered.  It  tlew  ofi' 
the  ship  and  then  made  successive  efforts  to  return,  but 
its  strength  gave  out  and  it  sank  at  last  into  the  water. 

The  voyage  was  a  stormy  one,  and   when   nearing 
San  Francisco  the  ship  encountered  a  norther  which 


ff 


f   In 


f'  i 


o4 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


kept  her  from  making  port,  as  had  been  hoped,  on 
Christmas.  Two  days  later,  December  27,  1878,  the 
Jeannette  shackled  to  a  buoy  at  the  Mare  Island  navy 
yard,  in  the  bay  of  San  Francisco,  with  just  one  bucket- 
ful of  coal  left  on  board. 

A  month  later  a  bill  was  introduced  into  Congress 
which  provided  :  '•  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  be, 
and  he  is  hereby,  authorized  to  accept  and  take  charge 
of,  for  the  use  of  a  North  Polar  Expedition  by  way  of 
Behring  Strait,  the  ship  Jeannette,  owned  by  James 
Gordon  Bennett,  and  by  him  devoted  to  this  purpose ; 
that  he  may  use,  in  fitting  her  for  her  voyage  of  ex- 
ploration, any  material  he  may  have  on  hand  proper 
for  the  purposes  of  an  Arctic  voyage  ;  and  that  he  is 
further  authorized  to  enlist  the  necessary  crew  for  the 
said  vessel  for  '  special  service,'  their  pay  to  be  tempo- 
rarily met  from  the  pay  of  the  navy,  and  to  be  paid  or 
refunded  by  James  Gordon  Bennett  to  the  Navy  De- 
partmenr,  under  the  order  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  and  as  he  may  require  ;  the  vessel  to  proceed  on 
her  voyage  of  exploration  under  the  orders  and  in- 
structions of  the  Navy  Department ;  that  the  men  so 
'  specially  enlisted '  as  above  shall  be  subject  in  all  re- 
spects to  the  Articles  of  War  and  Navy  Regulations  and 
Discipline ;  and  that  all  parts  of  the  act  approved 
March  18,  1878  [which  gave  aut'liority  to  the  Secretary 
to  issue  an  American  register  and  detail  officers],  in- 
consistent with  the  above,  be  and  they  are  hereby 
repealed  :  provided  that  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  is  not  to  be  held  liable  for  any  expenditure  as- 
sumed, or  to  be  incurred  on  account  of  said  expedi- 
tion." The  terms  of  the  act  gave  rise  to  some  in- 
cidental questions  regarding  the  material  which  the 
Secretary  might  emplo}'^,  but  in  the  main  it  was  clearly 


1 


»i 


rUEPAUATIONS  FOR  THE  EXPEDITION. 


55 


s- 
|i- 
ri- 

10 


understood  that  Mr.  Bennett  was  to  meet  all  expenses, 
while  the  Government  was  to  have  all  the  authority. 

Captain  De  Long  was  thus  acting  under  the  direction 
of  the  Secretary,  while  he  was  also  Mr.  Bennett's  finan- 
cial agent,  and  the  situation  called  for  the  constant  ex- 
ercise of  judgment,  that  the  expedition  might  neither 
fail  of  anything  that  should  make  its  equipment  com- 
plete, nor  be  a  source  of  needless  expense  to  the  gen- 
erous patron.  From  the  day  wlicii  the  Jeannette 
dropped  anchor  in  the  bay  of  San  Francisco  till  the 
dtij,  six  months  later,  when  she  weighed  anchor  for 
her  final  voyage,  the  connnander's  care  was  incessant. 
His  watchfulness  was  comprehensive  and  minute  ;  no 
detail  escaped  him,  and  he  laid  his  plans  broadly  and 
firmly.  He  had  constant  need  to  exercise  tact  and 
persistence,  and  devoted  hhnself  unweariedly  U.  secure 
the  best  interests  of  the  expedition. 

His  first  concern  was  to  see  that  the  ship  was  in  the 
best  condition  for  the  voyage.  The  Department  had 
ordered  an  examination  of  the  Jeannette  by  a  Board 
of  Survey,  and  on  the  24th  of  January  Captain  De 
Long  wrote  a  full  report  of  their  proceedings  to  Mr. 
Bennett,  and  added  the  result  of  his  own  careful  and 
minute  examination.  His  intimate  knowledge  of  the 
ship,  as  she  was  when  she  left  the  hands  of  her  former 
owner,  and  his  accjuaintance  with  the  improvements 
then  made,  followed  by  his  experience  in  bringing  her 
round  to  San  Francisco,  enabled  him  to  imderstand 
thoroughly  what  further  was  necessary  to  make  her 
ready  for  her  northern  voyage.  The  final  decision  as 
to  her  outfit  rested  with  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
and  Captain  De  Long  suggested,  therefore,  that  it  would 
bo  expedient  for  him  to  consult  with  him  before  the 
final  orders  were  given.     He  was  accordingly  ordered 


R 


66 


THE   VOYAGE   OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


1^ 


I  i 


to  Wa.shington  by  the  Secretary,  and  tlie  result  of  their 
t'onl'erence  appeared  in  a  letter  which  Captain  De  Long 
wrote  to  Mr.  Bennett  from  Wasliington,  February  20, 
1879. 

"■  When  the  request  was  made  to  the  Secretary  to  send  for 
me  to  confer  witli  him,  he  lost  no  time  in  doing  so.  I  reached 
Washington  on  the  loth,  and  had  a  short  interview  with  him 
on  thiit  date,  and  a  long  one  on  the  19th.  Nothing  could  ex- 
ceed the  ])leasin'e  of  my  reception  on  both  occasions.  lie 
expressed  himself  as  personally  and  officially  interested  in  the 
success  of  the  expedition,  and  indicated  his  conviction  that  we 
had  struck  the  gateway  to  the  Pole.  He  assured  me  that  us 
soon  iis  tlie  bill  now  before  Congress  should  pass,  authorizing 
liim  to  assume  charge  of  the  expedition,  nothing  should  be  left 
luidone  which  we  desired  to  be  done.  Said  he  in  substance  : 
'As  soon  as  the  bifl  passes  1  shall  order  you  officially  to  the 
command,  anil  then  you  sliall  have  just  what  you  want  in  your 
own  fashion,  shall  have  just  as  much  and  just  as  little  work 
done  as  you  desire,  sh;!'  get  what  men  you  want,  how  and 
where  you  jilease.  shall  equip  and  prepare  your  expedition 
after  your  own  designs,  and  shall,  in  fine,  have  all  the  aid  the 
Navy  Department  can  give  you.  When  you  sail  I  intend  you 
to  have  the  same  power  that  is  conferred  upon  admirals  com- 
manding ileets,  with  tlie  addition  of  being  absolute  in  your 
command  and  authority,  holding  your  subordinates  accounta- 
ble to  you,  and  yourself  accountable  to  me.  This  expedition 
must  succetHl,  and  you  shall  be  prepared  and  forearmed  against 
all  disaifection,  insubordination,  and  disaster.' 

"  Surely  nothing  finer  tlian  this  can  l)e  asked.  The  bill 
provides  for  using  any  material  now  on  hand  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Department." 

It  may  be  added  to  this  that  the  Secretary's  good 
will  was  doubtless  reinforced  by  the  contagious  ear- 
nestness of  his  visitor.  Secretary  Thompson  has  since 
said,  in  a  speech  delivered  at  the  Melville-Berry  recep- 
tion at  the  National  Capital,  September  23,  1882  :  — 


:  i  1 


I 


PHEPAUATIUXS   FOK   THE   EXI'KDITION. 


57 


''Mr.  Bennett  eiirly  suggested  and  urged  on  the  Depurtnient 
that  Lieutenant  De  Long  should  b(^  assigned  to  the  coninuind 
of  the  expedition.  Tiie  Navy  Department  would  have  been 
justified  in  not  making  the  ai)pointment,  unless  assured  that 
De  Long  possessed  the  other  (qualifications,  aside  from  profes- 
gional  ability,  necessary  to  the  discharge  of  such  a  duty.  As 
regarded  his  professional  skill,  his  brother  otticers  in  the  navy 
bore  universal  attestation  to  that,  and  the  Department  was 
aware  that  in  this  resj)ect  he  possessed  all  that  was  necessary. 
It  did  not  take  many  interviews  with  De  Long  to  tell  that  he 
was  a  man  of  courage,  devotion,  judgment,  and  will,  and  pos- 
sessed all  the  qualities  which  fitted  him  for  this  duty.  The 
other  selections  were  necessarily  made  as  the  result  of  confer- 
ences with  liim,  and  the  Department  was  more  or  less  in  a  po- 
sition to  be  guided  by  his  views." 

Captain  Do  Long  had  a  magnetic  power  which  made 
him  singularly  successful  in  dealing  with  men  and  in 
carrying  out  the  pur])oses  which  he  conceived.  He 
was  always  scrupnlously  considerate  of  the  rights  and 
privileges  of  others,  and  exceedingly  careful  of  the  per- 
sonal relations  which  ho  held  toward  them.  While  ab- 
sent in  the  east  he  wrote  to  Master  Danenhower,  who 
had  been  sent  forward  to  Mare  Island  navy  yard, 
where  the  Jeannette  w^as  being  strengthened,  and  af- 
ter detailing  the  nature  ot"  the  work  which  had  been 
ordered,  concluded  :  — 


xl 


"  The  foregoing  will  give  you  a  general  idea  of  the  work 
already  begun,  and  as  likely  to  be  in  hand  during  your  pres- 
ence at  Mare  Island  before  my  arrival.  It  is  decided  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  that  all  materials  are  to  be  given  by  the 
yard,  and  merely  the  labor  paid  for.  It  is  therefore  necessary 
that  we  should  so  act  that  the  cost  of  labor  should  not  be 
alarming.  .  .  .  The  labor  being  paid  for  by  Mr.  Bennett  needs 
great  consideration  by  us.  .  .  . 

"  Upon  your  arrival  at  Mare  Island,  you  will  of  course  re- 


iii 


58 


THE   VOYAGE  OF  THE  .JEANNETTE. 


( i 


if!  I 


1-   la 

1  r 


port  to  the  eonimamliint,  and  in  iis  delicate  a  manner  as  possi- 
ble represent  to  liim  that  you  are  come  to  a'd  in  the  work  to 
be  done  on  board  the  vessel,  and  to  act  in  })roviding  tlie  montiy 
to  be  paid  by  Mr.  Bennett  for  labor ;  and  request  his  permi  '- 
sion  to  ask  the  cooperation  of  the  constructor,  chief  engine  tr, 
and  equipment  otHcer,  in  ovary  way  which  may  present  itself 
for  saving  money.  Then  wait  upon  the  three  last  named  gen- 
tlemen and  ask  to  be  permitted  to  look  at  and  after  any  work 
which  may  be  going  on,  not  as  an  interference  with  them,  but 
as  one  going  on  the  expedition,  acquainted  with  the  ship,  know- 
ing my  views  and  desirous  of  giving  information  on  various 
subjects,  and  with  time  enough  to  go  into  various  small  details, 
wliich  they,  in  their  great  occupations  with  more  important 
things,  would  not  cai'e  to  be  bothered  witli,  etc.  Request  also 
that  they  would  indicate  to  you  such  methods  of  procedure  as 
seem  right  and  proper  to  carry  out  our  views  without  infring- 
ing upon  any  etiquette  whatever. 

"  As  the  work  designated  has  been  ordered  done  through 
the  commandant  by  tlu!  various  chiefs  of  bureaux,  the  laborers 
and  workmen  will,  of  course,  be  hired  by  the  navy  yaixl  au- 
thorities. But  should  it  seem  to  you  that  too  many  men  are 
employed,  or  that  any  man  so  employed  is  idling  his  time,  a 
proper  representation  to  the  head  of  the  Department  will  no 
doubt  have  the  necessary  effect.  This  is  a  delicate  affair, 
which  I  must  leave  to  your  tact  and  discretion,  advising  you 
simply  that  there  can  be  no  impropriety  in  any  one's  wishing 
to  save  money,  and  I  do  not  see  how  it  can  be  objected  to.  .  .  . 

"  I  will  now  leave  the  matter  in  your  hands,  asking  you  to 
use  your  best  tact  and  discretion  to  accomplish  my  wishes  in  a 
smooth  way  and  to  the  benefit  of  the  exjiedition.  We  are  all 
interested  in  making  the  expense  as  small  as  jDOssible,  both  to 
the  Government  and  to  Mr.  Bennett,  and  there  are  many  ways 
in  which  this  can  bcs  done.  The  earnest  cooperation  of  Mr. 
Fletcher  and  Mr.  Much  [officers  connected  with  the  yard]  is 
promised,  and  they  may  point  out  to  you  many  little  econom- 
ical plans." 

How  strongly  Captain  De  Long  felt  the  force  of 
these  instructions  to  Master  Danenhovver  appears  fur- 


rUEl'AUATIONS  FOR  THE  EXPEDITION. 


59 


to 
bi  a 

lall 

to 

lys 

Uv. 

is 


of 
r- 


ther  from  a  letter  which  lie  .sent  to  Mr.  Bennett  at 
the  same  time,  in  whicli  he  writes :  — 

"  Mr.  Danenhower  has  started  for  San  Francisco.  I  have 
given  him  the  fullosL  directions  as  to  his  course  ol"  action,  im- 
pressinpj  upon  him  tluit  the  object  of  liis  stay  there  is  to  save 
as  much  money  as  possible.     If  I  can  liave  a  co})y  made  in 


Setiian- 

•ihroiufh' 

CuatJitmhtrs  b^oreSoilen 

Shovrint)  Tunr.Baon.Thus, 

JBifye  atraJcu 


SccUorv 

Ihraugh 
Tin  Room  injrant  cf^mlen. 


CROSS-SECTION   OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 
Tlie  water-line  is  at  A. 


time  for  this  mail,  I  shall  send  you  his  instructions  in  detail 
for  your  inspection  and  I  hope  approval.  It  is  not  necessary, 
perhaps,  for  me  at  this  moment  to  assure  you  that  I  consider 
your  interest  identical  with  my  own,  and  that  I  am  laboring 
to  keep  down  expenses  with  as  much  zeal  as  if  I  were  to  foot 
the  bills  instead  of  you." 

Again,  a  month  later,  when  writing  to  Master  Da- 
nenhower, he  urged  the  same  plea  :    "  Will  you  and 


00 


Tllh    VOYACK   OF    rHK   .IKANN'KITi;. 


t1 


? 


Clii[)i)  lake  tlio  iiiiittcr  ol'  .stripping'  tlu'  ship  into  ad- 
visLMuont,  iiiid  let  mo  know  yonr  ()[)inion  with  figures. 
It  is  such  httlo  items  as  three  hunch'ed  dolhirs  liere 
and  live  hundred  dollars  there  that  run  away  with  the 
money,  and  1  aui  more  careful  about  spending  money 
belonging  to  Mr.  Bennett  than  il'  it  were  my  own." 

The  general  result  of  the  work  done  npon  the  .ship  is 
thus  sunnned  up  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Bcmiett,  written  in 
the  hard-earned  leisure  which  came  alter  the  Jeaimette 
left  San  Fi'ancisco  :  — 

*'  Lot  nic  go  buck  a  littk)  to  toll  yon  wliat  had  boon  dono  to 
tlio  ship,  and  how  I  found  things  working  at  tlio  navy  yard 
when  I  veacliod  it  on  tjie  i:?Ot]i  of  i\biy.  The  repairs,  or  rather 
the  alterations,  were  coniploted  and  the  new  boilers  were  in 
place.  The  bow  had  been  lillod  in  solid  for  a  distance  of  ten 
feet  from  the  stem,  and  for  forty  foot  in  longtli,  and  eight  foot 
in  depth  amidships;  the  inside  liad  boon  coiled  with  oak  planks 
six  inches  thick.  Exactly  amidships  a  very  heavy  system  of 
kneed  braces  had  been  placed.  An  entirely  new  deck  had  boon 
laid  in  place  of  so  much  of  the  old  dock  as  was  necessarily 
removed  to  hoiht  out  the  old  sixteen  foot  boilers.  The  ship 
had  been   docked,  caulked,  and  painted. '     T!ie  house  for  the 

^  In  another  iiceount  of  the  work  doiu!  to  the  ship,  especiiiUy  as  rej^ards 
its  slrcti;j;thonin;i,  Ciiptiiin  De  Lonj^  a(hls:  '•  A  steani-wiiich  has  been  placed 
on  deck  forward  of  ihe  siiiokc-stack,  capable  of  liflinLj  the  screw,  iinship- 
pni;^  the  rndder,  an<l  warpin<j;  the  ship  ahead.  'I'he  bow  has  iii;en  heavily 
strcnj^theiu'il  wiih  oaken  breast-hooks  and  transverse  beams,  and  has  been 
fdled  in  solid  and  caulked  below  'he  i)erlh  deck  for  a  distance  of  ten  feet 
from  the  stem.  Ontside  we  have,  of  course,  the  original  doubling  of  three 
and  a  lialf  inch  American  idm  extending  fore  and  aft,  and  down  to  the 
floor  heads,  a  distance  of  four  feet  nine  inches  from  the  keel.  In  the 
spiices  occii])ied  by  the  engines,  boilers,  and  coal  bunkers,  for  a  distance  of 
forty  feet  in  length,  anil  extending  from  the  spar-deck  shelf  to  the  bilge 
strakes  on  either  side,  the  old  ceiling  and  wooden  trusses  have  been  removeil, 
an<l  six  inch  planks  of  Oregon  j)ine  in  single  lengths,  with  proper  shifts, 
have  been  substituted.  Just  forward  of  the  boilers  there  is  a  series  of  beams 
and  braces  to  guard  against  dangers  from  severe  nips,  while  the  shape  of  the 
hull  with  its  great  dead-rise  will  serve  to  aid  the  ship  in  rising  to  pressure. 
The  thickness  of  the  vessel  aniidshij)s  is  nineteen  and  a  half  inches.  The 
frames  are  oil  an  average  twelve  inehes  apart  from  eenUe  to  centre." 


IMtKPAUATlONS   Foil  TIIK   KXIMMU'I'IOX. 


ni 


crow  to  livo  ill  in  winter  liiul  ln'cii  built,  litt»'<l  in  place,  iiiid 
tiikt'M  iipiirt  and  piled  r,p.  A  portable!  observatory  had  been 
made,  ami  winter  ponlies  tor  tlu^  cabin  doors.  N(!W  sails 
tliron,i,'liout  had  been  eiit  and  lilted,  as  well  as  an  entire  oiitlit 
of  running,'  rigging'.  Coal  bunkers  had  been  enlarged  and  iu!\v 
ones  added,  inalving  her  biinUer  cai)aeity  one  hundred  and 
thirty-two  tons  instead  of  eighty-nine  tons  as  formerly.  'I'he 
new  boilers  were  in  i)laco  and  eounecte'd.  'J'lio  macliinery  luul 
been  well  overhauled  ;  new  pumps  added  ;  four  new  propeller 
blades  cast,  giving  us  at  starting  six  blades,  or  the  equivalent 
of  three  i)ropellers ;  and  an  entire  outfit  of  engineers'  tools  and 
stores  placed  on  board.  Chronometers,  sextants,  compasses,  and 
charts  were  given  ;  Remington  rilles,  revolvers,  and  ammunition 
Avere  added  ;  all  llu;  rope,  canvas,  and  boatswain's  stores  were 
freely  furnished;  and,  linally,  all  tin;  carpenters'  tools  an»l 
outfit  were  thrown  in.  lOveiy  thing  that  I  he  navy  yard  had 
on  hand  was  pl;icc(|  at  our  disposal,  and  the  only  things  that 
I  addeil  to  what  had  been  already  supplied  were  a  new  galley, 
navy  pathMii,  buiiUs  in  the  forcjcastle  for  the  crew,  and  cover- 
ing the  inside  of  the  forecastle  and  ward-rooin  with  felt.   .   .   . 

'*  Finally,  iiowever,  all  work  came  to  an  end,  aiul  the  ship 
was  turueil  over  to  me.  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  with  her. 
She  is  everything  I  want  for  the  expedition,  but  a  little  small 
for  all  I  want  to  carry  in  her.  We  must  remember,  however, 
we  are  making  her  do  the  work  of  an  exjiedition  that  hiis 
heretofore  generally  required  two  shi|)s.  We  have  every  ap- 
pliance for  all  kinds  of  scientific  exj)eriments.  Onr  outfit  is 
simply  jjerfect,  whether  for  ice  navigation,  astronomical  work, 
niiigiietic  work,  gravity  experiments,  or  collections  of  Natural 
History.  We  have;  a  good  crew,  good  food,  and  a  good  ship, 
and  I  think  we  have  the  right  kind  of  stuff  to  dare  all  that 
man  can  do." 

The  preparation  of  the  Jeannette  was  under  the  .su- 
pervision of  Lieutenant  Chipp  and  Master  Danenhower. 
Captain  De  Long  left  San  Francisco  for  Washington 
early  in  February,  as  we  have  seen,  and  did  not  return 
until  the  end  of  May.     During  that  time  he  was  ac- 


m 


I 


ii 


62 


THE   VOYAGE   OF   THE  JEAXNE'I'TE. 


tively  employed  in  the  countless  details  of  his  work. 
He  was  in  constant  communication  with  his  olhceivs  at 
San  Francisc  ,  with  the  Department  at  Washington, 
and  with  Ma  Bennett  in  Europe.  He  followed  every 
step  of  the  work  on  the  ship,  using  the  greatest  tact  in 
removing  the  obstades,  some  of  them  very  serious, 
which  frequently  arose  ;  he  made  the  arrangements  for 
the  ship's  stores  and  their  transportation ;  he  arranged 
for  the  choice  of  officers  and  other  members  of  the  ex- 
pedition, and  gave  close  attention  to  the  selection  of 
instruments  for  use  in  the  scientilic  observations,  and 
answered  good-naturedly  and  promptly  the  numberless 
applications  and  inquiries  which  were  made. 

The  choice  of  his  companions  was  a  matter  of  the 
greatest  moment,  and  he  was  fortunate  in  having  his 
wishes  deferred  to  by  the  Government  and  by  Mr. 
Bennett,  who  absolutely  refused  to  make  any  appoint- 
ment for  friendship's  sake,  and  supported  Captiiin  De 
Long  in  his  determination  to  confine  the  party  to  those 
who  were  qualified  for  the  arduous  work  of  the  enter- 
prise. We  have  already  spoken  of  Lieutenant  Chipp 
and  Master  Danenhower.  The  friendship  which  sprang 
up  between  Captain  De  Long  and  Lieutenant  Chipp 
during  the  boat  ex])edition  of  1873  was  never  inter- 
rupted ;  and  the  very  earliect  ho))es  which  Captain  De 
Long  had  of  the  Jeannette  expedition  were  shared  with 
his  old  comrade,  wiio  was  then  stationed  in  the  Asl  uelot 
at  Full  Chiiu.  China,  from  which  place  he  wrote  June 
21,  1877  :  '"  Man}'  thanks  for  your  assurance  that  if  the 
expedition  goes  I  shall  go  with  it,  and  I  will  keep  my- 
self prepared  at  all  times  to  join  you  npon  the  shortest 
notice.  I  regret  that  we  have  been  disappointed  in 
getting  aAvay  this  summer,  but  I  sincerely  trust  we  shall 
be  more  fortunate  in  1878."     He  made  his  way  to  San 


^ 


niEPARATIONS   FOR  THE  EXPEDITION. 


G3 


Francisco,  as  soon  as  he  was  detached  from  the  squad- 
ron in  the  spring  of  1870,  and  was  cordially  welcomed 
by  Captain  De  Long,  who  w^rote  him  from  Washington, 
April21,  1879:  — 

"I  have  not  been  able  to  write  you  sooner  to  say  low  gUul 
I  am  to  know  that  you  are  safely  in  San  Francisco  ready  to 
join  me  in  our  Arctic  work.  You  have,  of  course,  l(;arned  from 
Danenliower  the  story  of  the  expedition  as  far  as  it  has  got, 
and  you  cannot  learn  more  of  what  I  propose  to  do  than  by 


J.   M.  AMBLER,   M.  D. 

reading  my  irstruciions  to  Danenhower,  and  my  letters  to  him 
since  his  arrival.  Of  course,  as  soon  as  the  orders  reach  you, 
you  will  be  the  senior  otficer  present  at  the  ship,  and  th«!  ^ead 
of  all  operations  until  my  arrival,  wl>;  h  will  be  about  May 
15th.  Tn  order  to  keep  things  as  simple  and  regulaf  as  possi- 
ble, 1  would  suggest  and  reipu'st  that  you  leave  in  Danen- 
hower's  hands  the  compU^tion  of  whatever  work  he  has  begun  : 
and  advise  and  direct  him  as  to  the  best  way  to  successfully 
carry  out  our  plans.  Melville  goes  out  with  ail  tln'  latest  de- 
tiiils  from  the  engineer-in-c^def,  and  you  and  he  will  easily 
work  together.  We  ai'e  so  crowded  with  work  that  I  cannot 
liud  time  to  go  into  details  a  second  time,  and  so  I  ask  that  we 


im 


f.4 


THE   VOYACK    OK   TllK  .IKAXNETTE. 


all  confer  aiid  work  togetlK.'r,  comparing  notes,  ono  with  the 
other.  We  an;  all  working  for  a  common  good,  the  success  of 
the  expedition,  and  we  must  not  stand  on  a  little  ceremony." 

Passed  Assistant  En<'iiicor  Geurt'-e  W.  Melville  was 
the  chief  engineer.  He  had  l)een  a  couu'.ide  of  Cap- 
tain De  Long's  on  the  Lancaster,  and  was  his  first 
choice  for  tlie  position  wliich  he  filled.  So  higlily  was 
he  regard(Hl  in  the  nav}^,  that  the  Department  was  very 
relnctant  to  attach  him  to  tlie  Jeannette,  from  a  sense 
ol'  the  extreme  dilliculty  of  supplying  his  place  during 


n 


OKORGE  W.   MELVILLE,  CHIEF  ENGINEER  U.  S.  N. 

hi»<  absence.  The  surgeon  was  Passed  Assist.ait  Sur- 
geon James  M.  Ambh'r.  Tiiis  post  was  mie  of  great 
importance,  an<l  the  <liny  of  lilling  it  .suital)ly  caused 
Ca])tain  D«'  Long  great  conceru.  lie  was  unwejiried 
in  his  efforts  to  secure  an  oftwei'  who  should  com- 
bine the  necessary  qualilications,  and  at  (ma  time  was 
strongly  moved  to  invite  two  si.rgeons.  hoinething  of 
his  concern,  and  something  also  of  his  appr('ciuti<m,  of 
Dr.  Ambler's  high  (pialities  may  l)e  seen  from  t  letter 
which  he  addressed  to  an  applicant  for  the  jw/^itioa  iM 
explanation  of  his  course  of  action  :  — ■ 


f 


PREPARATIONS   FOR    THE   EXPEDl'I'ION. 


65 


"  T  on'e  and  tender  yoix  an  ajiology  for  my  loii^-  silence,  os- 
peciiilly  since  you  luive  written  nu;  your  letter  of  March  24th. 
As  vou  will  be  aware  probably  on  the  I'eeeipt  of  this  letter, 
I'ij'ised  Assistant  Surgeon  Ambler  has  been  ordered  to  duty  in 
tli(^  Joannette. 

•'  I  beg  to  assure  you  that  this  is  intended  to  be  no  reflection 
upon  you,  or  disregard  of  your  earnest  desire  and  ii[)plieatlon 
to  Form  one  of  the  Arctic  Expedition.  The  limited  spacer  for 
oHicers'  accommodation  on  boiud  the  vessel  has  convinced  me 
that  it  may  not  bo  possible  to  carry  more  than  one  med"  •;  . 
oHicer.  In  this  case  it  becomes  imperatively  necessary  t  ..r. 
the  one  medical  oHicer  so  .selected  sliould  combine  a  thorou^.. 
knowledge  of  his  profession  (which  you  undoubtedly  havn) 
with  a  considerable  experience  of  ships  and  sailors  (which 
your  short  time  in  the  service  makes  it  no  discredit  to  say  you 
have  not). 

"  Consultation  with  eminent  niedical  oHifcis  in  the  navy 
has  impressed  me  with  the  conviction  that  the  combination 
above  mentioned  can  be  fouiul  best  in  the  list  of  passed  assis- 
tant surg(V)ns,  and  I  have  caused  the  ])osition  to  be  tendered, 
tin-ough  the  Bureau  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  to  Dx'.  Ambler, 
who  has  signified  his  acceptance. 

"You  will,  I  hope,  understand  and  appreciate  my  motive. 
I  am  placed  in  a  position  of  peculiarly  grave  responsibility. 
With  all  the  res|n-ct  which  I  hav(>  for  you  professionally,  and 
the  regard  which  I  feel  for  you  i)ersonally,  I  hesitated  to  invite 
yon  to  become  the  only  medical  ollicer  of  tlu^  expedition, 
si»fi|.iy  because  your  (experience  of  ships  and  sailors  is  not  as 
jfr«'>tt  as  seems  recpiisite  in  an  niulertalcing  of  this  kind. 

"  If,  however.  I  lind  tiiat  ihere  will  l)e  room  for  a  second 
medical  officer,  that  it  will  be  Avise  to  liav(i  one,  and  that  vou 
are  still  willing  to  go,  be  assured  I  will  gladly  tender  you  the 
place,  r  cannot  forget  and  will  not  forget  that  you  were  tlu^ 
first  surgeiju  to  volunteer  for  the  Arctic  Expedition  (and,  until 
the  present  writing,  tlie  only  surgeon  to  v(dnnteer),  and  that 
you  have  showed  a  zeal  and  persistence  undei'  trying  circum- 
stances of  watching  and  vaiting  too  valuable  to  be  lightly  dis- 
regarded." 


m^ 


m 


66 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


The  ice-pilot  was  William  Dunbar,  of  Now  London, 
Connecticut,  who  had  been  master  of  whaleships  in 
and  north  of  Behring  Strait.  The  meteorologist  was 
Jerome  J.  Collins,  from  the  staff  of  the  "  New  York 
Herald,"  a  gentleman  who  at  once  commended  himself 
to  Captain  Do  Long  by  his  intelligent  zeal,  and  his  de- 
termination both  to  secure  all  proper  equipment  and 
to  qualify  himself  for  his  special  duties.     In  a  letter 


JEROME  J.  COLLINS. 

written  March  25,  1879,  to  Mr.  Bennett,  Captain  Do 
Long  gave  hearty  testimony  to  the  worth  of  his  asso- 
ciate :  — 

"  I  am  very  much  pleased  with  him.  He  has  a  large  fund 
of  general  information,  und  will  make  a  name  for  himself  in 
the  Arctic,  1  am  sure.  He  has  seeminoly  mastered  photog- 
raphy already.  I  propose  now  to  have  him  go  to  Washington, 
and  T  shall  ask  Professor  Baird  to  give  him  the  same  facilities 
at  the  Smithsonian  as  were  tendered  to  the  medical  officer 
when  he  should  be  selected.  I  shall  make  the  same  request 
of  Adniiral  John  Rodgers  at  the  Observatory,  and  of  Captain 


f 


PREPAHATIONS   FOR  THE   EXPEDITION. 


07 


liii 


lir. 

Is 


T 

[it' 
|U 


I 


Patterson  at  the  Coast  Survey  Ortice,  and  by  these  hope  to 
seciu'e  lor  Mr.  Collins  all  tlie  benefit  of  government  insti- 
tutions." 

From  that  time  forward  Captain  De  Long  and  Mr. 
Collins  worked  t(\u;etlier  indet'atigably  to  secure  the 
scientific  objects  of  the  expedition. 

The  naturalist  was  Mr.  liayn\ond  L.  Newcomb,  of 
Salem,  Mass.  In  the  case  of  these  last  named  meui- 
bers  of  the  expedition  a  slight  technical  difhculty  arose, 
as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  letter  from  tiie  Secre- 
tary of  the  Navy  to  Captain  De  Long,  dated  May  26. 
187U  :  — 

••  Your  letter  of  the  IfStli  inst.,  requesting  permission  to  ap- 
point a  meteorologist,  iiaLiiralist,  and  ice-pilot,  to  accom}»any 
V(jii  on  the  proposed  Arctic  Expedition,  is  received.  In  reply 
you  are  informed  tliat  I  do  not  think  I  have  any  autho)'itv  to 
make  these  appointments,  as  tijey  are  civil  and  in  no  sense 
naval.  The  law  gives  me  power  to  detail  officers  and  enlist 
.seamen.  Tliey  arc  neitlun-.  If  you  choose  to  take  them  with 
you,  all  that  I  can  do  will  be  to  give  my  consent,  which  I  will 
tlo  at  any  time.  If  they  were  mustered  as  stamen  perhaps 
the  object  would  be  accompli^ihcd.  It  would,  at  all  events, 
subject  them  to  discipline."     (See  Appendix  B.) 

This  course  was  followed,  and  they  signed  the  papers 
and  appeared  on  the  roll  as  seamen,  but  the  relation 
in  which  the  meteorologist  and  naturalist  stood  to  the 
oHicers  is  clearly  set  forth  in  Captain  De  Long's  letter 
of  explanation  to  Professor  Baird  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution,  in  which  he  says  :  — 

••  The  Secretary  replied  (to  my  application)  that  he  had  no 
authority  to  appoint  these  gentlemen  under  an  Act  of  Con- 
gress, and  suggested  that,  in  order  to  bring  them  under  naval 
regulations,  I  should  ship  them  as  seamen.  This  I  have  pro- 
postsi  t<»  Mr.  New  comb  purely  as  a  matter  of  form,  and  he 
miuies   uo  objection.     You   will  understand  that  in  no  other 


G8 


THE    VOV'AGE   OF   THE   JEANNKTTE 


r. 


u 


sense  will  lie  be  consiclored  a  seiiman,  but  will  be  kuown  and 
pubiisluHl  as  the  '  Naturalist  of  the  Arctic  Expedition,'  will 
i-eside  and  mess  with  the  ojiicers  of  the  ship,  and  be  one  of  my 
oMicial  family.'' 

'''he  crow  was  .selected  with  great  care,  i)art  in  the 
East  and  part  from  the  Pacific  Coast. 

"  If  I  can  get  suitable  men  iii  San  j\aiicisc(),''  Captain  De 
Long  writes  to  1 /leutcnaiit  Chipp,  to  \  horn  he  luul  specially 
commitif'd  this  matter,  "  I  dcm't  want  to  go  to  the  expense  of 
sending  men  irom  the  East  where  I  can  get  them  in  swarms. 
Requirements  for  crew  :  Single  men  ;  periVct  health  ;  consid- 
erable strength  ;  p'lfei't  temperance;  cheerfulness;  ability  to 
read  and  write  English  ;  prime  seamen  of  course.  A  musician, 
if  possible.  Norwegians,  Swedes,  and  Danes  pi'eferred.  Avoid 
English,  Scoich,  and  Irish.  licfuse  point  blank  French,  Ital- 
ians, and  Spaniards.  The  steward  must  be  A  1,  and  not  nec- 
essarily a  seaman.  Tiie  cook  must  be  a  goo<l  cook,  since  he 
cooks  for  all  hands.  Look  among  recruits  in  receiving  ship 
to  begin  with.  Pay  to  be  navy  pay.  Absolute  and  unhesitat- 
ing ob(>(li(Mice  ti)  every  order,  n<>  matter  what  it  may  be.  .  .  . 
Excuse  mv  scratchy  and  jerky  Avay  of  putting  things,  but  I  am 
wofully  hurried."      (See  Anp<>ndix  C.) 

Lieutenant  C!ii|)]t  found  it  no  ens}'-  matter  to  socnro 
meiu  but  Ca])taiu  De  Long  received  abundant  ;i])plica- 
tions  from  all  (jiiariers  from  persons  who  Avished  to 
join  tlie  expedition  in  some  othei*  cnpacity  than  tliat 
of  connnon  seamen.  One  determined  young  man,  or 
ratiier  boy,  besieged  him  witli  letters,  professing  his 
readiness  to  do  anything  and  everything  if  he  might 
only  be  taken,  and  resting  his  special  claims  npcm  an 
ability  to  edit  a  newspaper  and  get  np  a  variety  show 
for  the  entertainment  of  the  company  dnring  the  long 
nights  of  an  Arctic  winter.  Captain  De  Long's  reply 
to  his  application  was  in  substance  that  which  he  made 
to  every  one  :    "  Your  various  letters  have   been  re- 


.   '"P" !■■ 


rUEPAUATIONS   FOR   THE   KXI'EDITK  tX. 


G'J 


ceived.  In  reply  1  would  state  tluit  I  have  room  in 
the  Jeannette  lor  nobody  but  her  oflicers  and  crew. 
These  must  be  seamen  or  people  with  some  claim  to 
.scientilic  usefulness,  and  from  yoiu"  letters  I  fail  to 
learn  that  you  may  bo  classed  with  either  })arty." 

Mr.  Bennett  and  Captain  De  Long  received  frequent 
advice   and  warnings  with   regard    to   the   expedition. 


up 


;un 


to 
at 
or 
lis 
ht 
m 
\\\ 

Ml* 

r.— ) 

|y 


Oh^^Y^t^^^'U^  hut>  ^y^^ 


l^cc/c^-i^c^ 


One  theorist  wrote  solemnly  that  the  explorers  wore 
on  the  vero:e  of  a  <j!:reat  discovery  before  which  the  dis- 
covery  of  America  by  Columbus  would  pale,  for  they 
were  to  enter  a  region,  about  the  87tli  degree  of  lati- 
tude, where  a  tropical  heat  would  meet  them  issuing 
from  the  hollow  centre  of  the  earth.  Another  was 
convinced  of  the  feasil)ility  of  opening  ti-ans-oceanic 
communication  for  conunenMul  purposes  Ijctweeu  the 
P;ici(ic  Coast  and  England  r/rr  Behrinjv  v^tniit,  the  Arc- 
tic Ocean,  Melville.   Lancaster,  and  IVivis  v^traits,  and 


I'; 

m 

70 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


m 


|ii 


BiilHn's  Bay.  He  thought  tlic  route  would  be  an  ex- 
cellent one  for  a  large  freight  business  during  the 
summer,  and  only  required  to  be  well  surveyed  and 
supplied  with  buoys  and  light-houses.  A  well-wisher  of 
the  expedition  disclosed  the  valuable  properties  of  cat- 
tails, which,  when  j)acked  as  a  wadding  between  two 
cloths,  made  the  most  perfect  non-conductor  of  heat 
possible. 

A  light-hearted  friend  of  Captain  De  Long,  and 
former  messm;ite,  had  only  one  request  to  make,  that 
the  captain  would  carry  a  tl Lite,  very  precious  to  the 
owner,  as  far  as  he  sbould  go.  It  was  a  thite,  as  the 
owner  wrote,  wbicli,  in  the  hands  of  Captaiii  De  Long, 
had  once  given  ex(piisite  gratilication.  "  I  am  sure," 
he  adds,  '"  it  only  re(juires  another  course  under  you  to 
become  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  instruments.  If 
you  play  it  anywhere  near  Ounalaska's  shore,  I  am  sure 
the  wolves  will  nil  come  down  to  iiowl,  and  thereby 
serve  a  good  purpose  if  it  sbould'  happen  to  be  thick 
weather.  Then,  in  the  periods  when  the  spirits  of  your 
men  need  rousing,  what  would  be  more  a])propriate 
than  for  their  commander  to  appear  at  the  mast  and 
discourse  those  selections  from  '  Pinafore  '  upon  the  in- 
strument of  which  he  is  a  master?"  Still  another  sent 
the  captain  a  likeness  of  Captain  Hall  and  a  bit  of  the 
Polaris'  Hag  to  be  carried  to  the  North  Pole. 

The  Jeamiette  was  put  in  commission  June  28, 1879, 
when  the  silk  Hag  which  his  wife  had  made  for  Captain 
De  Long  was  used.  This  flag  was  to  be  used  in  taking 
possession  of  any  new  found  land  in  the  name  of  the 
United  States,  and  to  be  unfurled  when  the  highest 
latitude  was  reached.  The  orders  for  the  expedition 
were  given  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  in  a  letter 
dated  Washington,  June  18,  1879,  which,  after  reciting 


i 


^ 


•KSaWMpi 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  EXPEDITION. 


71 


ek 


the 
•9, 

LUl 


ng 


tlie  terms  of  the  two  Acts  of  March  18, 1878,  and  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1870,  proceeds  :  — 

"  Under  the  authority  conferred  by  these  Acts  of  ( 'ongress, 
tlie  Jeannette  has  been  accepted,  fitted  out,  otticered,  and 
manned  under  tlie  orders  of  this  Department,  and  you  have 
been  ordered  to  the  coininand  of  the  voyage  of  exploration. 

"  As  soon  as  the  J{;annette,  under  your  command,  is  in  all 
respects  ready  for  sea,  you  will  proceed  with  her  to  liehring 
Strait,  to  execute  the  important  and  hazardous  service  in- 
trusted to  you.  In  the  execution  of  this  service,  the  Depart- 
ment must  leave  the  details  to  your  experience,  discretion,  and 
judgment.  It  has  full  confidence  in  your  ability  in  all  matters 
connected  with  the  safety  and  discijdine  of  the  ship,  the  health 
and  comfort  of  the  ofiicers  and  crew,  and  the  faithful  prosecu- 
tion of  the  object  of  the  voyage. 

"  On  reaching  Behring  Strait,  you  will  make  diligent  in- 
quiry at  such  points  where  you  deem  it  likely  that  information 
can  be  obtained  concerning  the  fate  of  Professor  Nordenskjold, 
as  the  Department  has  been  unable  to  have  positive  confirma- 
tion of  the  reports  of  his  safety.  If  you  have  good  and  surti- 
cient  reasons  for  believing  that  he  is  safe,  you  will  proceed  on 
your  voyage  toward  the  North  Pole.  If  otherwise,  you  will 
pursue  such  course  as,  in  your  judgment,  is  necessary  for  his 
aid  and  relief. 

"  You  will,  as  opportunity  offers,  advise  the  Department  of 
your  whereabouts,  and  of  such  matters  of  interest  connected 
with  the  voyage  as  you  may  desire  to  communicate.  Wishing 
you  a  prosperous  voyage,  and  commending  you,  the  officers 
and  crew,  and  the  object  of  your  expedition,  to  the  protecting 
care  of  Almighty  God, 

"  1  am  very  respectfully  yours, 

"  R.  W.  Thompson, 

"  Secretary  of  the  Navij.'''' 


iir 


It  was  a  severe  disaiDpointment  to  Captain  De  Long 
that  the  founder  of  tlie  expedition  was  not  to  be  in  San 
Francisco  to  bid  him  God-speed.      In   the  connectioi'. 


72 


'I'lIK   VOYAGE    OF    IIIK   JKAXNi:  I' I  K. 


ill 


f:       [ 


between  the  two  men  there  hud  been  no  jar  or  niisim- 
(lerstandinj^.  On  the  one  liand  there  had  been  the  ut- 
most liberaHty  and  conlidence  ;  on  the  other,  the  elosest 
fidehty.  As  the  time  drew  near  for  the  expedition  to 
start,  and  Captain  De  Long  tried  in  vain  to  secure  from 
Covermnent  a  convoy  to  JJehring  Strait,  he  burst  out 
in  one  of  his  despatches  to  Mr.  IJcnnctt's  representative 
in  New  York :  ''  Thank  God,  I  have  a  man  at  my  back 
to  see  me  through  when  countries  fail !  "     Mr.   Ben- 


WILLIAM   DUNBAR. 

nett's  final  instructions,  sent  by  Atlantic  cable  from 
Europe  and  forwarded  to  Captain  De  Long,  closed  with 
these  words :  — 

"  Reiijrot  excocdingly  I  cannot  be  tliore  to  bid  him  God- 
speed, but  hope  to  be  on  Iiand  to  congratulate  him  upon  suc- 
ces.sful  return.  Tell  him  I  luive  greatest  confidence  in  Ids 
energy  and  [)luck,  and  I  thank  him  sincerely  for  his  fklelity  to 
me.  Say,  also,  he  may  push  forward  to  north  next  spring  with 
perfect  confidence,  fur  if  ice-bound,  I  shall  spare  neither  money 
nor  influence  to  follow  him  up  and  send  assistance  next  year, 
so  neither  he  nor  his  men  will  be  in  danger.     I  wish  this  to  be 


I 


I 


1 , 


rUKPAUATIOXS   FOR    rilK   KXPEDITIOX.  73 

an  American  success.  Tell  liiin  in  case  lie  returns  next  year 
misuccessful,  which  I  don't  helicne  {)()ssible,  I  shall  most  cer- 
tainly send  anotlier  expedition  following  year,  and  continue 
doing  so  until  successful,  hut  had  rather  victory  should  be  his 
than  another's.  Should  I)e  Long  not  return  next  year,  or  in 
fact  never,  the  widows  of  men  b(!longiug  to  expedition  will  be 
protected  by  me.  Should  like  him  to  tell  this  to  his  men  upon 
their  departure." 

In  tlio  preparation  for  the  expedition  Captain  Do 
Long  lunl  drawn  upon  liis  own  experience,  and  liad  ap- 
plied a  knowledge  derived  from  long  and  close  study 
of  tlie  details  of  previous  Arctic  voyages.  Ilis  famil- 
iarity witli  naval  duty  was  supplemented  by  an  aecpiain- 
tance  with  all  the  niinutia3  of  the  expedition  which  he 
connnanded.  He  had  been  generously  supported  by 
Mr.  Bennett,  and  he  had  the  authority  of  the  Govern- 
ment behind  him.  His  survey  of  the  Jeannette  and 
her  equipment  had  left  him  satisfied  with  the  rcsidt  of 
the  vear's  work ;  he  had  confidence  in  his  associates. 
His  only  regret  was  tiiat  Mr.  Bennett  could  not  wish 
them  God-speed  in  person,  and  that  Government  had 
failed  to  furnish  him  with  a  steamer  to  carry  additional 
supplies  to  St.  Michael's,  for  this  failure  would  inevita- 
bly delay  his  final  entrance  into  the  Arctic  Ocean. 

Yet  the  completest  preparation  for  the  expedition 
was  in  Captain  De  Long  himself.  The  sketch  of  his 
early  career,  and  the  glimpses  of  his  character  which 
this  chapter  has  afforded,  will  give  the  reader  some  in- 
timation of  the  singular  qualifications  which  Captain  De 
Long  possessed  for  the  work  which  he  had  undertaken. 
For  years  his  mind  had  been  turning  to  this  point.  His 
native  enthusiasm  and  spirit  had  urged  him,  and  his 
sense  of  a  great  work  to  be  done  had  drawn  him  for- 
ward.    The  experience  which  he  had  known  when  in 


p 


^ 


/ 


> 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


1.0 


Ul    12.5 


I.I 


■i*  Itt    12.2 
2.0 


■ 

■ 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


/. 


^  A. 


1.25   |||.4   III  1.6 

^ 

6"     

► 

23  WeST  MAIN  STMET 

WEBSTIR,  N.Y.  MS«0 

(716)  •72-4S03 


.V^  X* 


s 

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1 


]  t 


i 

I 


74 


TIIK   VOYAGE   OF   TIIK  JEANNETTE. 


command  of  the  Little  Juniata  had  given  him  a  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  some  of  the  difficulties  attendant 
upon  Arctic  exploration,  and  had  assured  him  that  he 
was  not  wanting  in  the  qualities  of  an  explorer.  The 
more  he  pondered  upon  the  problem  of  the  North  Pole, 
the  greater  became  his  desire  to  help  in  its  solution, 
and  if  possible  to  give  that  answer  which  alone  would 
satisfy  the  world.  He  was  keyed  to  the  temper  of  his 
great  enterprise  by  no  vainglorious  purpose  or  rash 
self-confidence.  He  never  disguised  from  hiniseli  the 
seriousness  of  the  task  he  had  essayed,  nor  imagined 
that  he  was  to  win  a  high  reputation  by  some  happy 
turn  of  fortune.  He  belonged  to  the  men  who  have 
cared  for  great  things,  not  to  bring  themselves  ho  lor, 
but  because  doing  great  things  coidd  alone  satisfy  their 
natures,  and  he  entered  upon  the  work  before  him  with 
a  single-minded  earnestness,  and  a  brave  trust  in  God. 


:  ). 


\    '■ 

i 

\ 

1 

1' 
L 

1 


g   - 


CHAPTER   111. 

FROM    SAN    FRANCISCO   TO    ST.   LAWRENCE   BAY. 

8  July  — -11  Juf/nst,  1«7'.>. 

The  Start.  —  The  Escort.  —  The  Company.  —  Oiinalaska  Island.  — 
Tln'  Ahiska  Commercial  Company.  —  Letter  to  Secretary  of  the 
Navy. — Generosity  of  the  Company  and  its  Agent. —  St.  Mi- 
chael's. —  No  Tidings  of  Nordenskjcild.  — The  OHicers  of  the  Jean- 
nette.  —  Arrival  of  the  Schooner  Fanny  A.  Hyde.  —  The  Character 
of  the  Crew.  —  The  Arctic  Stores  of  Clothing  and  Provisions.  — 
The  Interpreters.  —  Off  for  St.  Lawrence  Bay.  —  The  Dogs. —  St. 
Lawrence  B;iy.  —  The  Chief  George  and  his  Story  about  a  Ship. 
-  -  Lutke's  Island.  —  The  Last  of  Civilization. 

[The  story  of  the  voyage  of  the  Jeannette  will  be 
told  in  the  words  of  the  commander.  Besides  tlie 
ship's  log  he  kept  a  full  journal  during  the  voyage, 
and  continued  the  record  after  the  ship  was  abandoned. 
It  has  been  the  task  of  the  editor  to  reproduce  the 
journal  with  sucli  omissions  and  corrections  only  as  its 
form,  never  intended  for  publication,  seemed  to  de- 
mand. This  journal  was  to  be  Lieutenant-Commander 
De  Long's  record  of  the  expedition,  but  after  leaving 
San  Francisco,  and  before  entering  Behring  Strait,  he 
had  opportunities  of  sending  letters  home,  and  the  nar- 
rative preserved  in  this  chapter  is  drawn  by  turns  from 
his  journal  and  from  these  letters.] 

[from  tiik  jouunal.] 

Upon  steaming  out  of  the  harbor  of  San  Francisco 
the  Jeannette  was  escorted  by  some  half  dozen  yachts 


I 


I 


I  ; 


(! 


70 


THE   VOYAGE   OF   THE  .TEANNETTE. 


boloriu:in;i:  to  the  San  Francisco  Yacht  Club,  Commanfler 
C.  11.  Harrison  leading  tliem  in  his  yacht  Frolic  ;  by 
the  tug  Mellon  Griffith,  hired  by  J.  C.  Morison,  our 
shipping  agent;  by  the  tug  Governor  Irwin,  carrying 
his  Excellency  Governor  Irwin,  of  the  State  of  Cali- 
fornia, who  did  us  the  honor  to  pay  us  a  visit  on  board 
just  before  sailing,  and  a  party  of  merchants;  the  tug 
Kabboni,  with  a  large  number  of  San  Franciscans,  and 
several  small  stean^-launches  loaded  down  with  people 
The  wharves  were  crowded  with  enthusiastic  friends; 
Telegraph  Hill  was  black  with  people  who  had  climbed 
up  there  to  cheer  us  and  wave  adieux  ;  and  every  ship 
we  passed  dipped  her  colors  to  us,  while  shouts,  steam- 
whistles,  and  yachts'  cannon  shots  kept  the  air  filled 
Avith  noise.  Upon  passiug  Fort  Point  a  salute  of 
twenty-one  guns  was  fired  in  our  honor,  while  the  gar- 
rison of  the  fort  cheered  us  enthusiastically.  Astern 
of  us  might  be  seen  our  consort,  the  schooner  Fanny 
A.  Hyde,  lad(»n  with  one  hundred  tons  coal  and  such 
provisions  as  we  could  not  conveniently  carry.  The 
refusal  of  the  Ntny  Department  to  send  a  man-of-war 
with  us  as  far  as  Alaska  to  start  us  as  favorably  as  was 
the  Polaris,  Captain  Hall,  in  1871,  when  the  Congress 
was  sent  to  Disco,  in  Greenland,  to  help  her  along, 
made  the  chartering  of  this  schooner  necessary  at  Mr. 
Bennett's  expense.  I  may  here  add  that  not  a  sign 
of  a  naval  officer  was  seen  in  the  departing  ovation. 
The  Alaska,  Tuscarora,  and  Alert  lay  at  the  navy  yard, 
only  twenty-six  miles  away ;  and  though  the  navy  yard 
tug  Monterey  lay  at  a  wharf  in  San  Francisco  when 
we  started,  having  brought  the  commandant  down  that 
morning,  she  made  no  move  toward  participation.  On 
the  contrary,  when  fifteen  minutes  later  she  left  her 
wharf,   she   crossed   our  wake  a  mile  astern  without 


i; 


^:' 


FUO.M   SAN   FRANCISCO   TO   ST.    LAWlfEXCE    HAY.        77 

even  a  blast  of  her  steam-whistle  as  a  good-by,  and 
went  olt"  in  the  direction  of  the  navy  yard. 

Arriving  at  the  Sea  Bnoy  we  jiarted  from  onr  accom- 
panying friends,  they  returning  toward  San  Francisco, 
cheering  us,  dipping  colors,  and  blowing  steam-whistles 
nntil  out  of  sight  and  hearing.  Headed  to  a  conrse 
W.  N.  W.  (magnetic),  with  a  light  head  wind,  ship 
steaming  three  knots.  Arranged  the  sailor-men  in  two 
watches  of  four  hours  each ;  the  engineer  force  in  two 
watches  of  six  hours  each;  while  the  duties  of  watch 
ollicers  were  assigned  to  Mr.  Dunl)ar  (Ice-Pilot),  John 
Cole  (Boatswain),  and  William  Nindeinann  (Ice-Quarter- 
master). 

Jfdfj  d(h,  Wednesday.  —  At  3.30  a.  m.  lost  sight  of 
Point  Kayes  light,  l)earing  N.  E.  by  E.  (magnetic).  At 
nine  made  fore  and  aft  sail,  and  at  eleven  made  all 
s(|uaresail,  running  her  olt'  till  canvas  drew  to  strong 
N.  W.  wind,  which  raised  choppy  sea  that  broke  aboard 
over  either  rail.  Ship  loaded  very  deep,  namely,  11  ft. 
9  in.  forward,  13  ft.  -4  in.  aft.  Foggy,  misty,  and  at 
times  rainy. 

July  Vijth,  Sunddy.  —  At  ten  A.  M.  inspected  the  ship 
and  crew,  and  found  everythhig  neat  and  tidy.  Had 
the  Articles  of  War  read  and  the  ship's  company  mus- 
tered. Then  read  divine  service,  and  was  mucli  pleased 
at  observing  that  every  ollicer  and  man,  not  jibsolutely 
on  watch,  voluntarily  attended.  Clear  and  pleasant 
weather ;  smooth  sea. 

[to  mks.  de  long.] 

A  r  Si-.A.  lilt.  :5SO  13'  N.,  loiirr.  132°  02'  W., 
450  .Milos  West  of  San  Francisco, 

Sunday,  July  13,  1879. 

Here  we  are  so  far  on  our  way  toward  the  Pole,  and 
it  is  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world  that  I  should 


TIIK   VOYAGE  OF  TIIK  .lEANXETTF,. 


iii 


f' 


I 


sit  down  to  write  you.  All  the  first  night  wo  had  lit- 
tle or  no  wind,  and  we  poked  along  slowly,  making  four 
knots  an  hour.  The  next  morning,  however,  it  blew 
a  little  from  N.  W.,  and  freshening  rapidly,  I  put  the 
.ship  under  canvas  and  steam,  and  headed  her  off  so 
tliat  our  sail  would  draw.  As  the  wind  freshened  the 
sea  got  up,  and  as  we  were  so  deeply  loaded  it  broke 
over  us  in  all  directions.  For  three  days  we  had  a 
very  uncomfortable  time.  Seas  were  breaking  over 
her  rail  all  the  time,  and  the  ship  rolled  and  wallowed 
like  a  pig.  Mist  and  rain  made  it  damp  inside  as  well 
as  outside,  and  she  was  more  uncomfortable  than  at 
any  time  in  our  bad  weather  in  the  Pacific  just  outside 
of  the  Straits  of  Magellan.  Collins  and  Newcomb 
promptly  wxmt  urder  with  sea-sickness,  and  for  three 
days  they  were  as  miserable  men  as  you  ever  saw. 
Then  the  cook  got  sea-sick,  and  we  had  to  scratch 
around  for  something  to  eat.  The  boy  seemed  to  dis- 
appear from  everybody's  gaze  for  three  days,  when  the 
doctor  found  him  in  the  port  chart-room,  hugging  the 
lockers,  and  such  a  specimen.  He  was  just  a  shadow 
of  his  former  soif,  his  long  pig-tail  all  in  a  confused 
mass  of  hair  flying  to  the  wind,  and  looking  like  a 
corpse  resurrected.  We  gave  him  some  chloroform 
which  straightened  him  up,  and  then  made  him  take 
the  lee  wiieel  to  keep  him  in  the  air,  for  I  really  feared 
he  miojht  die.  If  vou  could  have  seen  him  clutch  that 
wheel  frantically  whenever  she  rolled  or  a  sea  came  on 
board,  with  his  eyes  starting  out  of  his  head,  and  his 
tongue  cleaving  to  the  roof  of  his  mouth,  you  would 
understand  the  amount  of  anguish  he  was  enduring. 
Yesterday,  however,  when  the  weather  moderated  and 
the  sea  went  down  everybody  brightened  up ;  and  as 
to-day  we  are  having  heavenly  weather,  a  bright  sky, 


Id 
g 

lid 


FROM   SAN   FRANCISCO   TO   ST.   LAWREXCK   HAY.       70 

light  easterly  airs,  and  smooth  sea,  you  would  imagine 
wo  never  had  dreamed  oi   such  a  thing  as  bad  weather. 

Now  I  suppose  you  will  not  object  to  a  kind  of  de- 
tailed description  of  the  ship  and  the  people  in  her. 
The  ship  is,  T  think,  all  right ;  she  is  slow  now  because 
she  is  so  deep  in  the^  water,  running  along  under  steam 
alone  only  four  and  four  and  a  half  knots,  and  burning 
about  five  tons  of  coal  a  day.  But  this  has  been  wlieu 
a  heavy  swell  kept  her  back.  For  the  last  twenty-four 
hours  she  has  had  a  light  N.  E.  breeze,  and  we  have 
made  a  run  of  one  hundred  and  tliirty  miles,  or  over 
five  knots  an  hour,  and  as  we  are  growing  lighter  every 
hour  we  burn  coal,  I  am  in  hopes  in  a  day  or  two  of 
irettinj?  six  knots  an  hour  out  of  her  without  trouble. 
Our  cabin  is  very  comfortable  and  very  dry.  During 
the  bad  weather  I  had  a  little  fire  made  in  the  stove 
to  try  it  and  to  dry  clothes  by,  and  I  assure  you  it 
worked  admirably,  throwing  out  great  quantities  of 
heat  and  burning  but  littl'j  coal.  The  forecastle  has 
been  as  dry  as  a  bone  and  very  comfortable,  and  the 
men  seem  to  appreciate  it.  The  only  uncomforhible 
place  h.as  been  the  deck;  and  that  has  been  wet  all  the 
time.  We  have  not  had  a  chance  to  settle  everything 
into  its  place  yet,  but  are  getting  gradually  towards  it. 
My  room  and  the  starboard  chart-room  are  all  to  rights, 
and  look  quite  cosy  and  cheerful. 

Chipp  is,  as  he  always  was  and  always  will  be,  calm 
and  earnest.  He  has  always  something  to  do,  and  is 
always  doing  it  in  that  quiet,  steady,  and  sure  manner 
of  his.  He  smiles  rarely  and  says  very  little,  but  I 
know  where  he  is  and  how  reliable  and  true  he  is  in 
every  respect.  He  is  putting  everything  in  order 
quietly  and  steadily,  and  he  has  everything  reduced 
already  to  a  system.     To-day,  when  I  inspected  the 


T 


! 


If 


Ul  * 


80 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


sliip  slie  Avas  as  noat  as  a  pin,  the  men  nicely  dressed, 
and  everything  looking  more  like  a  man-of-war  than  it 
ever  had  before. 

Danenhower  is  the  same  as  ever,  does  his  work  well, 
and  navigates  correctlv.  Melville  is  as  bri<dit  as  a  dol- 
lar  and  as  cheerful  as  possible  all  the  time.  He  sits  on 
my  left  at  table,  and  helps  me  to  carve  and  serve  out. 
We  broke  a  pump-rod  two  days  ago.  Some  engineers 
would  have  wanted  to  stop  the  ship  a  few  days  for  this, 
or  perhaps  turn  back.  Not  he  ;  he  says,  "  All  right ; 
we  will  run  without  a  pump -rod,  hey  brother,  and 
when  we  get  in  I  will  make  you  a  new  pump-rod  or 
fifty  of  them."  I  believe  he  could  make  an  engine  out 
of  a  few  barrel  hoops  if  he  tried  hard.  He  is  one  of 
the  strong  points  in  this  expedition.  He  and  Dr.  Am- 
bler arc  much  alike  in  some  respects.  The  doctor  is 
all  I  Avould  have  him,  bright  and  cheerful  under  all  cir- 
cumstances. During  our  bad  Aveather  he  was  around 
all  the  time,  cheering  up  Collins  and  Newcomb,  hold- 
ing up  the  Chinese  cook,  when  necessiu'y,  and  facing 
the  music  like  a  man.  He  and  Melville  have  christened 
Newcomb  ••  Ninkum,"  and  occasionally  I  hear  one  of 
them  sing  out  on  seeing  an  albatross,  "  Here,  Ninky, 
quick,  come  and  catch  a  goose." 

Poor  Collins  was  so  sick  that  he  could  easily  have 
lost  his  mother  and  not  have  k.iown  it.  His  puns  died 
out  for  a  few  days,  but  he  is  getting  back  to  them 


agam. 


Newcomb  in  his  turn  deserves  mention.  He  will,  I 
think,  come  out  all  right;  he  has  grit  arid  goes  to  work 
like  a  little  man.  He  was  hardly  a'.le  to  stand  before 
he  had  his  lines  over  the  side  fishlug  for  albatross,  and 
no  sooner  had  he  caught  a  good  one,  measuring  seven 
feet  across  the  wings,  than  he  skinned  it  and  got  it 


% 


|i '      I  '■ 


9! 


FROM   SAN   FRANCISCO   TO   ST.   LAWRENCE  BAY. 


81 


ready  for  mounting.  lie  knows  all  about  his  business, 
every  l)it,  and  he  takes  all  about  Ninky  and  the  goose 
in  good  part,  returning  to  his  addressers  quite  as  good 
us  they  give.  He  has  his  little  place  in  the  port  eh.irt- 
room  all  fixed  up  with  his  tools,  and  is  as  happy  as 
can  be. 

Mr.  Dunbar  is  as  grave  and  serious  as  ever.  He  fre- 
quently speaks  about  making  "  pahsages  to  the  South 
Seas,"  etc.,  and  iias  (piite  a  fund  of  general  information 
which  will  no  doubt  be  useful  to  draw  from  hereafter. 

Cole  and  Sweetman  are  just  the  same  as  they  were 
coming  around.  Cole,  as  usual,  says  nothing,  but  stands 
his  watch  looking  all  around  the  horizon  as  if  for  a 
wind.  Sweetman  looks  after  the  provisions  as  before, 
and  he  and  Danenhower  have  soleum  consultations 
al)Out  weigiits  and  measures.  Our  Chinese  steward 
bothers  them  l)otli  dreadfidly,  for  he  gets  things  no 
matter  how  carefully  they  are  locked  uj)  and  put  away. 
He  seems  to  feel  that  he  has  but  one  duty,  and  that  is 
to  get  all  the  food  he  can  and  put  it  on  the  table.  For 
instance,  yesterday  he  gave  us  som*^  of  that  nice  cheese 
wliich  1  purchased  as  a  great  delicacy  during  the  win- 
ter. It  was  locked  up  very  carefully,  but  the  steward 
got  at  it,  cut  a  good  large  piece  out,  and  placed  it  on 
the  table,  with  the  pie  at  dinner.  He  cannot  under- 
stand why  we  should  be  economical  with  a  ship  full 
of  provisions,  and.  Chinaman-like,  will  not  understand 
what  he  does  not  want  to. 

The  watches  are  stood  by  Mr.  Dunbar,  Cole,  and 
Nindemann.  This  last  is  as  hard-working  as  a  horse. 
The  second  day  out  a  hatchway  fell  on  his  little  finger 
arid  nearly  cut  it  off,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  mind  it. 
The  doctor  sewed  it  up,  and  he  went  ahead  as  if  noth- 
ing had  happened. 

6 


82 


THE  v()ya(;k  of  the  jeannette. 


I 


The  cook  is  {[uito  a  success  since  he  fi^ot  over  his  sea- 
sickness, and  he  cooks  everything  very  well  except 
colYee,  and  that  we  shall  have  to  teach  him.  With 
cofl'ee  his  idea  is  (quantity  and  not  (quality,  and  what  he 
lacks  in  the  berry  he  makes  up  with  water. 

The  men  are  first-class,  happy  and  cheerful ;  they 
have  their  musical  instruments  every  night  and  play 
and  sing.  There  are  so  many  good  voices  that  I  am 
thinking  of  getting  up  a  choir  with  Collins  at  the  or- 
gan. To-day  at  church  every  officer  and  man  was 
present,  except  the  men  in  the  engine-room  on  watch. 
We  made  quite  a  congregation. 

Having  thus  described  everybody  else,  I  come  to 
your  husband,  who  hardly  needs  description.  I  realize 
that  I  am  engaged  in  a  great  undertaking  from  which 
neither  of  us  would  have  me  retreat ;  that  being  in  it  I 
must  make  a  good  showing,  and  study  and  plan  every- 
thing to  that  end.  With  God's  help  we  shall  certainly 
do  something,  however  small.  1  realize  how  much  de- 
pends on  me,  and  how  much  everybody  will  look  up  to 
me  for  guidance ;  and  I  know  that  instead  of  repining 
I  must  buckle  to  my  work  with  a  will. 


'I 


[fuom  the  journal.] 

July  20th,  Sunday.  —  At  10  a.  m.  inspected  the  ship, 
and  held  divine  service.  Informed  the  crew  of  Mr. 
Bennett's  intention  to  follow  us  with  a  ship  next  year, 
and  that  he  would  provide  for  all  widows  if  anything 
should  happen  to  any  of  us.  This  seemed  to  have  a 
good  effect  upon  the  spirits  of  all  hands. 


[to    MRS.    DK   LONG.] 

July  29th.  —  We  are  now  three  hundred  miles  from 
Ounalaska.     We  have  had  an  almost  steady  head  wind 


FliO.M    SAN    FUANCISCO   TO   ST.    LAWUKNC  K    I5AV.        83 

and  sea  ever  since  tlie  loth,  and  have  conu'  ah)n<5 
slowly  in  consecjuence.  Wiiat  lew  days  we  have  had 
a  lair  wind  it  has  heen  so  liglit  as  to  he  of  very  little 
use,  hardly  stron<^  enoii<;h  to  niiike  a  draft  for  our  fur- 
naces.    Fog  and  rain  we  have  had  nearly  every  day. 


ship, 
Mr. 


from 
wind 


AucriC    SlKA.MKU   tFKAXXK.TTK,  OlNALAsKA    Im.AM), 
Sundiii/,  Aut/unt  3,  1H7!». 

Here  we  are  at  last,  ]javiu<i;  readied  this  place  y*^'^- 
terday  afternoon,  after  knocking  around  for  two  days 
in  thick  fojjfs  amonif  a  hundred  or  more  islan<ls,  verv 
incorrectly  laid  down  on  the  charts  (some  of  them  not 
at  all),  and  getting  mixed  up  generally.  I  have  seen 
some  crooked  navigation,  hut  our  experience  in  getting 
through  the  i)asses  into  Behring  Sea  goes  far  beyond 
anything  fordilKculties.  Our  great  troubles  were  thick 
foirs  and  terrible  tides.  We  were  never  able  to  see 
more  than  three  miles  in  any  one  direction,  and  then 
only  for  a  few  minutes  at  a  time.  Getting  observations 
was  out  of  the  question,  for  when  we  could  happily  see 
the  sun  we  could  not  see  the  horizon ;  so  we  had  to 
grope  our  way  along  like  blind  men.  However,  we 
got  here  all  right,  and  here  we  are,  until  Wednesday 
morning,  the  6th  instant,  when  we  sail  for  St.  Michael's 
direct,  omittijiu;  St.  Paul's  Island. 

We  found  here  the  Alaska  Company's  steamer  St. 
Paul — which  sails  for  San  Francisco  direct  on  the 
6th  instant,  and  will  carry  our  mail  and  packages,  — 
the  revenue  cutter  Rush,  and  the  Alaska  Company's 
schooner  the  St.  George.  The  St.  Paul  has  just  come 
from  St.  Mi  ihael's  and  St.  Paul's,  and  has  one  hundred 
thousand  seal  skins  on  board,  valued  at  one  million 
dollars.  She  has  collected  all  the  seal  skins  from  the 
islands,  and  is  on  her  way  back  to  San  Francisco.  It  is 
a  splendid   chance  for  us  to  send  our  letters,  and  a 


84 


TiiK  v<)V.\(;i;  OF  iiii:  .ikawkitk. 


quick  one,  lor  she  will  run  down  in  ahoiit  I'lt'Vi'U  tl.ivs, 
an<l  you  ought  to  liavo  my  letters  in  five  dayH  jil'ter- 
wanls. 

My  only  reason  tor  stopping  at  St.  Paul's  Island  was 
to  get  some  seal  skins  and  leave  u  mail  for  the  Alaska 
Fur  Company.  But  I  find  I  can  get  all  the  furs  I  want 
here,  and  the  St.  Paul  has  brought  down  all  the  agents 
of  the  (Jompany.  and  so  1  deliver  the  nuiil  here.     1  am 


OUNALASKA. 


very  glud  it  is  so,  because  now  I  can  go  direct  to  St. 
JMichael's,  which  place  I  hope  to  reach  on  the  13th,  and 
leave  on  the  IGtli. 

Everybody  de.scribes  the  season  as  an  exceptionally 
open  one.  The  revenue  cutter,  which  has  just  come 
south,  was  as  far  north  as  East  Cape,  and  saw  no  ice 
anywhere.  She  did  not  stop  at  East  Cape  or  anywhere 
on  the  Siberian  side,  her  highest  point  of  call  being  St. 
Michael's.  At  that  place  everybody  was  looking  anx- 
iously for  us,  our  dogs,  .sleds,  and  fur  clothing  being 
all  ready.     The  schooner  had  not  yet  arrived. 


ri:(»M    SAN    IMIANCISCO  TO   ST.    LAWUKNCK    MAY 


85 


anx- 


Notliin;j,'  liJis  lu'cn  lit'urd  ol'  Nonlciiskjlild.  Tlic  cap- 
tain ol"  the  jvvcniio  sti'anior  sui)i)(Mt'(l  \iv  had  j;()iu' south 
loiiu"  iiii".  or  lu'  would  liavc  stopped  in  St.  Lawn-nci? 
IJiiv  to  ask.  No  ('onnimuioation  had  yet  hcoii  had  witii 
St.  Lawrence  Hay  tVoin  \'i.  Michael's,  and  no  tidintrs 
had  come  of  course.  It  is  the  helief  that  hy  the  time 
1  «;et  to  St.  Michael's  sonietiiin^;  will  have  transpired. 

Aiffjiisf  Ath. — This  is  a  very  pretty  little  ])la<'e  in 
some  res|)ects.  It  lias  a  beautiful  laud-lockrd  I'lrhor, 
surrounded  l)y  iiills  covered  with  beautiful  <^ra,'^.  and 
lookinji;  as  jrreen  as  Brick  Church.^  It  is  ((uitf  warui 
and  pleasant.  Hut  the  inos(|uit<)es  I  Fort'-  hist  iwo 
niiihts  1  have  liardlv  had  an  hour's  rest.  Last  niiht  1 
went  to  be«l  ul  ten  o'clock,  and  I  .issure  vou  1  hr  awake 
until  (lalf  past  four  this  niornin[!;  killlnj^  nios(|uitoes  by 
the  dozen.  1  am  one  mass  of  bites  from  head  to  foot. 
I  put  up  my  bed-curtains  to  keep  them  out.  but  they 
would  get  in,  and  seemed  to  make  the  curtains  an  ex- 
cuse for  not  getting  out.  My  bulkhead  and  ceiling  is 
one  mass  of  smashed  bodies.  I  went  for  them  with  my 
slippers  right  and  left,  and  fiuidly  at  half  past  four  I 
drop|)('d  off  to  sleep  from  sheer  fatigue  and  exhaustion. 
1  was  up  again  -jt  seven,  for  we  breakfast  at  half  after 
seven. 

There  is  not  a  white  woman  here,  nothing  but  men 
and  natives.  There  is  a  church  here,  a  (ireek  church, 
and  yesterda}'  the  priest  was  busy  all  (hiy  marrying 
couples.  The  steamer  St.  Paul  brought  down  a  lot  of 
men  from  St.  Paul's  Island  and  St.  (leorge's  Island  who 
Avere  candidates  for  matrimony.  They  reached  liere 
Thursday  hist;  made  their  selectio!  s  on  Friday  Jind 
Satunhjy  ;  were  married  ycstenhiy,  and  took  a  stroll  to 
the  hill-tops  in  the  afternoon.     Some  of  the  men  find 

1   A  villano  nciir  New  York. 


t 


86 

no 

of  indocisiori 


TMK   VOYACK   OF   THE  .IKAXXr/m:. 


notliing  to  suit  tlioni  and  are  hanging  around  in  a  state 


ti 


I  I 


; 


•»    f 


[to  nox.  n.  w.  Thompson',  skciiktauy  or  the  xavv.] 

Arctic  Steamku  Jkannette,  Ounalaska  Island, 

AuffusI  4,  1H71). 

» 
•  •••••••■ 

The  revenue  cutter  Kush,  during  her  visit  to  8t. 
Michael's  and  her  cruise  to  the  northward,  passed 
tliroiigh  Behring  Strait,  some  twenty  miles  to  the 
northward  and  eastward  of  PJast  Cape  in  Siberia,  with- 
out having  encountered  any  ice  whatsoever.  Suppos- 
ing that  Professor  Nordenskjiild  had  already  passed 
south,  no  connnunication  was  had  by  the  Rush  with  St. 
Lawrence  Bay.  No  connnunication  from  St.  Lawrence 
Bay  had  been  received  at  St.  Michael's  at  tlie  date  of 
the  sailing  of  the  Rush  on  the  23d  July,  and  conse- 
quently there  was  no  knowledge  of  the  safety  or  move- 
ments of  Professor  Nordenskjold's  party.  It  was  my 
intention  originally,  as  communicated  to  you  in  my  let- 
ter t)f  July  8tli,  to  stop  at  St.  Paul's  Island,  after  leav- 
ing this  place ;  but  as  the  fur  clothing  which  I  was  to 
have  received  at  that  place  can  be  furnished  here,  I 
have  concluded  to  proceed  directly  to  St.  Michael's  in 
Alaska,  leaving  here  on  Wednesday  morning,  the  5th 
August.  From  jill  the  intelligence  received  from  the 
northward  it  appears  that  the  last  winter  has  been  an 
exceptionally  mild  one,  and  that  no  obstruction  to  nav- 
igation in  the  shape  of  ice  has  been  encountered.  I 
can  but  deplore  tliat  the  necessity  of  loading  the  slii]) 
so  deeply  at  San  Francisco  has  made  our  progress  thus 
far  so  slow,  owini?  also  to  head  winds  and  swell,  as  to 
make  it  doubtful  whether  we  shall  be  able  or  not  to 
profit  by  the  open  water  in  the  x\rctic  Sea  in  our  efforts 


\ 


\ 


aaUa 


FROM   SAN   FKANCISCO   TO   ST.   LAWRENCE   HAY.       87 

to  gain  u  high  hititiulo  this  season.  11",  upon  our  arrival 
at  St.  Michael's,  nothing  has  been  heard  of  the  party 
under  the  command  of  Professor  Nordenskjold,  I  shall 
proceed  to  St.  Lawrence  Bay  in  Siberia,  to  obtain  tid- 
iny-s  of  them. 

We  have  been  made  the  recipients  of  the  most  un- 
bounded courtesy  and  assist.ance  of  the  Alaska  Com- 
mercial Company,  through  its  agent  at  this  place.  The 
coal  belonging  to  the  Navy  Department,  and  of  which 
there  was  originally,  I  believe,  some  seven  or  eight  hun- 
dred tons,  has  become  reduced  by  the  requisitions  of 
tlie  revenue  cutter  to  about  eighty  tons,  which,  owing 
to  exposure  and  spontaneous  combustion,  has  become 
of  indifferent  value.  The  commanding  oiHcer  of  the 
Rush,  having  expressed  to  me  his  desire  to  have  the 
remaining  quantity  reserved  for  his  use  in  proceeding 
to  San  Francisco  in  the  coming  fall,  I  have  accepted 
tlie  otter  of  tlie  Alaska  Connnercial  Company  to  furnish 
one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  bituminous  coal  for  the  use 
of  tlie  expedition.  This  matter  will  form  the  subject 
of  a  private  arrangement  between  Mr.  James  Gordon 
Bennett  and  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company,  and  has 
no  relation  to  our  official  transactions.  We  have  also 
been  furnished  with  fur  garments,  and  twelve  thousand 
pounds  of  dried  fish  for  dog  food,  both  of  which  have 
been  sent  here  by  the  Alaska  Connnercial  Company  for 
our  use,  from  Kodiak.  The  balance  of  our  clothing, 
for^y  dogs,  more  dog  food,  sledges,  and  dog  drivers  will 
be  furnished  at  St.  Michael's. 

1  would  respectfully  call  your  attention  to  the  fact 
that  the  charts  of  this  region  are  very  meagre.  The 
most  reliable  is  one  published  by  the  Imperial  Russian 
Hydrographic  Office  in  1849,  which  chart  was  furnished 
tne  in  San  Francisco.     The  prevalence  of  fogs,  and  the 


88 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


It 


l; 


'I  VI 


i 


rapidity  and  uncertainty  of  prevailing  tides,  make  an 
approach  to  any  of  the  passes  between  tlie  Aleutian 
Islands  hazardous  in  the  extreme. 

[kROM    TllK   .lOL'UNAL.] 

Amjitsi  5(h,  Tuesday.  —  The  St.  Paul  sailed  for  San 
Francisco  at  3.30  A.  M.,  carrying  our  letters  and  my 
packages  to  General  Miller.  1  receivx<l  from  the  Alaska 
Commercial  Company  a  long  list  of  articles  for  which 
Ml-.  Greenbaum  declines  to  receive  payment.  I  desired 
particidarly  to  pay  for  tl\e  labor  of  coaling  ship,  but  he 
re|)lied  that  his  orders  from  General  Miller  were  to 
furnish  everything  we  needed  without  charge,  and  he 
cannot  take  any  money  even  in  return  for  what  he  ex- 
pends from  the  comiiany's  funds. 

[to   MKS.   I)K   lont,.] 

Nothing  coidd  exceed  the  courtesy  of  the  company's 
agent,  Mr.  Greenbaum,  during  the  whole  of  our  stay. 
The  entire  storehouse  was  placed  at  oiu"  disposal.  A 
lot  of  fur  clothing  had  been  sent  over  from  Kodiak  for 
our  use,  —  reindeer  coats  and  gloves.  We  also  received 
eighteen  thousand  di'.d  fish  for  dog  food,  and  twenty- 
five  pu])  seal  skins  for  blaidvets  and  iloor  covers  or  car- 
pets. The  agent  gave  me  for  my  own  use  a  beautiful 
coat  made  of  pup  seal  skins  ;  besides,  he  gave  me  a 
laru:e  sjjown  lined  with  birds'  feathers  as  a  morniny; 
gown,  so  you  see  my  luck  of  having  other  people  give 
me  thinsj-s  has  not  chany-ed. 

When  we  left  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  everybody 
was  up  to  see  us  otl";  and  besides  dipping  of  colors,  we 
had  a  salute  from  three  small  guns  in  front  of  t'.ic  com- 
pany's office.  The  priest,  no  doubt,  was  among  the 
party,  but  we  cannot  say  whether  the  brides  and  grooms 


ss^^^^^^^ 


.U'lve 


we 
30111- 

the 
ortis 


FROM  SAN  FRANCISCO   TO  ST.   LAWRENXE   HAY.       89 

t 

were  there  or  not.  Everybody  wished  us  all  sorts  of 
good  hick  as  we  steamed  out.  The  fh'st  day,  of  course, 
we  had  a  liead  wind,  though  a  fair  wind  had  been  blow- 
ing for  the  three  days  that  we  were  in  port.  The  sec- 
ond day,  however,  we  had  a  nice  little  breeze,  which 
freshened  so  much  that  —  will  you  believe  it?  —  we 
made  one  hundred  and  seventv-three  miles  in  the  first 
twenty-four  hours,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  in 
the  next.  Then  the  wind  failed  us  and  came  out 
ahead,  and  this  day  we  are  down  to  our  old  speed  of 
four  knots. 

St.  IMiciiael's,  August  12,  1879. 

We  reached  here  this  inorniuijr  at  ten  o'clock.     The 
navigation  was  not  so  troublesome  as  at  Ounalaska, 


ST.  MICHAEL'S 


been  use  we  had  no  fog  ;  but  the  general  uncertainty, 
owing  to  poor  charts  and  shoal  water,  made  me  sufH- 
eiently  thankful  when  our  anchor  was  let  go  off  this 
collection  of  native  huts  and  one  storehouse. 

Our  schooner  [the  consort  with  coal]  has  not  yet 
arrived,  and  there  is  no  news  of  Nordenskj(ild.  The 
Alaska  Company's  agent  promptly  came  on  board  to 
welcome  us  and  receive  his  letters.  He  had  almost 
given  up  the  idea  of  seeing  us  this  year.     No  conunu- 


i 


«o 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


nication  has  been  had  with  St.  Lawrence  Bay  this  sea- 
son, and  he  knew  no  more  than  we  could  tell  him. 

I  confess  I  am  seriously  embarrassed.  I  fully  hoped 
to  find  our  schooner  here,  and  to  learn  some  tidings  of 
the  Swede.  I  am  dis.appointed  in  both.  I  have  not 
coal  enough  in  the  ship  to  warrant  me  in  going  away 
without  wjiiting  for  the  schooner,  and  it  follows  that  1 
must  await  her  arrival.  Then  we  must  go  to  St.  Law- 
rence Bay  for  one  more  effort  to  learn  something  of 
Noi'denskjiild,  and,  should  we  learn  nothing  of  him, 
poke  along  the  northern  coast  of  Siberia  until  we  are 
frozen  in  for  the  winter.  Meanwhile  our  fine  season  is 
slipping  away,  when  we  might  ro.tch  Kellett  Land  and 
pusli  on  to  the  northward.  There  are  only  ten  tons  of 
coal  here  at  the  station,  and  that  is  wanted  this  winter. 
I  had  an  idea  of  pushing  over  to  St.  Lawrence  Bay  to 
ask  about  Nordenskjold,  and  then  coming  back  to  meet 
the  schooner  ;  but  this  woidd  require  us  to  make  double 
the  distance  and  burn  double  the  coal,  and  that  will  not 
do.  Then  I  thought  of  going  across  and  leavino;  orders 
for  the  schooner  to  follow  us ;  but  it  might  take  her  so 
long  to  get  across  that  I  gave  that  up.  So  I  am  re- 
signed to  wait  patiently  for  the  Fanny  A.  Hyde  to 
arrive. 

1  have  got  all  the  natives  at  work  making  our  cloth- 
ing, and  it  is  somewhat  of  a  comfort  that  in  one  rcs])ect 
our  time  is  not  being  wasted.  Our  dogs  and  sleds  and 
harness  are  all  ready.  These  dogs  are  line  animals, 
young  and  active,  and  they  took  to  me  very  kindly 
to-day  when  I  visited  them  on  shore. 

This  is  a  miserable  place.  There  are  exactly  four 
white  men  here,  and  not  one  white  woman.  Of  the 
four  white  men,  one  is  a  servant,  one  Mr.  Newman,  the 
4»gent,  one  his  brother,  and  the  fourth  is  a  private  in 


m 


I' 


M^.^^«^.^6g.MlWi>w«M■^^M)?w^wtw^.^■nil^  - 


FKOM   SAN   FRANCISCO   TO   ST.    LAWHENCE    HAY.        01 

the  Army  Signal  Corps,  nsiined  Nelson,  stationed  here 
for  the  live  years  ol'  his  enlistment  to  make  Jind  record 
meteorological  observations.  Di'sohite  and  cheerless  as 
the  place  is,  we  may  yet  look  back,  upon  it  a.s  a  kind  of 
earthly  paradise. 

Our  little  family  of  thirty-two  having  been  together 
now  for  some  time,  1  can  Jinlge  of  the  harmony  exist- 
ing among  them.  In  the  cal)in  everything  goes  on 
.smoothly  and  harmoniously.  Chipp  is  as  unchangea- 
ble and  imperturbable  as  ever;  he  is  occupied  now  in 
building  a  cook-house  on  deck  in  the  place  where  the 
old  one  stood,  but  not  quite  so  large.  We  have  con- 
.sidered  this  wise,  because  we  have  already  had  trouble 
with  the  draft  to  the  galley;  for  it  positively  refused  to 
burn  on  the  poit  tack,  and  besides  1  want  to  have  the 
galley  where  1  can  look  at  its  cleanliness  every  hour  of 
the  day.  Our  Chinese  servants  —  but  I  will  tell  you 
about  them  further  on. 

Danenhower  is  the  same,  and  will  probably  always 
remain  so.  He  is  a  hard  worker,  always  writing  the  log, 
or  ligui'ing  over  his  navigation  or  provisiou  account. 

Melville  is  more  and  more  a.  treasure  every  day.  He 
is  not  only  without  a  superior  as  an  engineer,  but  he  is 
bright  and  cheerful  to  an  extraordinary  extent.  He 
sings  well,  is  always  contented,  and  brightens  every- 
body '  ^  'us  presence  alone.  He  h  always  sell-helpful 
and  reliiint,  never  worries  about  the  future,  is  ready 
for  any  enu^rgency,  has  a  cheerful  word  for  everybody 
night  and  morning,  and  is,  in  fine,  a  tower  of  strength 
in  himself. 

Dr.  Ambler  seems  a  kind  of  Mark  Tapley,  jolly  when 
he  is  probably  most  uncomfortable  (for  he  is  inclined  to 
sea-sickness).  He  does  not  take  very  kindly  to  canned 
meats,  and  utterly  denies   himself   the  luxury  of  our 


92 


TUK   VOYAGE   OF   TIIK  JEANNETTE. 


I    1 


|i 


very  superior  hash.  We  have  abundance  of  fresh  po- 
tatoes and  turnips  yet  remaining ;  in  fact,  the  deck  is 
full  of  potato  sacks,  and  he  lives  mostly  upon  vege- 
tables. We  got  a  whole  sheep  in  Ounalaska,  where,  by 
the  way,  we  also  got  some  fresh  beef,  and  he  (Dr. 
Ambler)  is  not  quite  a  skeleton  yet. 

Collins  is  the  same  Collins,  getting  oft"  puns  all  the 
time,  some  of  them  good  and  some  wretchedly  poor. 
For  a  while  we  steadily  refused  to  see  his  puns,  and 
would  all  look  at  him  as  innocently  and  inquiringly  as 
babies  when  he  got  one  of!',  asking  him  to  explain  it 
two  or  three  times  over,  until  he  finally  exclaimed  that 
our  intellects  must  be  weakening  in  proportion  as  Ave 
increased  our  distance  from  San  Francisco.  Now,  how- 
ever, we  let  him  pun  away,  praise  the  good  ones  and 
condemn  the  bad. 

For  myself,  I  am  doing  all  I  can  to  make  myself 
trusted  and  respected,  and  I  think  1  succeed.  I  try  to 
be  gentle  but  firm  in  correcting  anything  I  see  wrong, 
and  always  calm  and  self-possessed.  I  feel  my  respon- 
sibility and  care,  and  I  hope  I  appreciate  the  delicate 
position  I  am  placed  in  of  leading  and  directing  so  many 
people  of  my  own  age.  I  hope  God  w  ill  aid  me  in  what 
I  have  undertaken,  and  bring  me  through  it  in  safety 
and  with  credit. 

August  18,  iVbo?i.  —  Our  schooner  has  just  arrived, 
and  we  have  her  alongside,  and  shall  soon  commence 
hoisting  in  her  precious  cargo.  —  coal  and  provisions. 
During  the  past  six  days  many  longing  and  anxious 
looks  were  directed  toward  the  horizon  for  a  sight 
of  her,  and  I  had  already  experienced  that  "  hope  de- 
ferred maketh  the  heart  sick."  Now  that  she  is  here 
we  are  up  to  our  eyes  in  work  and  excitement,  for  I 
have  appointed  Wednesday  morning,  the  21st  inst.,  as 


FlUJM   SAN   FRANCISCO   TO   ST.   LAWRENCE   BAY.        03 


ly. 


at 


s. 

IS 


the  date  of  sailing  for  St.  Lawrence  Bay.  If  God  will 
only  give  us  fair  winds  and  let  us  save  our  coal  until 
we  are  through  Behring  Strait,  we  may  find  Nor- 
denskjiild  and  reach  Kellett  Land  before  the  ice  freezes 
us  in. 

Although  the  beginning  of  my  letter  was  dated  the 
Dth,  I  have  been  writing  a  little  in  it  every  day.  So 
you  must  not  suppose  that  nine  days  went  by  without 
my  having  thought  of  you  and  written  to  you.  Li  fact, 
I  am  all  ready  to  go  on  and  tell  you  about  the  crew 
where  I  left  off  the  day  before  yesterday. 

There  is  no  doubt  about  it  that  we  have  as  fine  a 
crew  as  ever  went  on  board  of  a  ship.  They  are  cheer- 
ful, good-humored,  ready  for  anything,  and  as  harmo- 
nious as  one  family.  There  has  not  been  a  sign  of  a 
disagreement  or  a  suspicion  of  a  growl.  The  men  seem 
to  realize  that  every  effort  is  being  made  to  make  them 
comfortable,  and  thev  are  really  verv  comfortable.  Well 
clad,  well  fed,  and  easily  worked,  they  seem  to  appre- 
ciate the  easy  places  in  which  their  lines  have  been 
cast.  Being  in  ports  where  it  is  illegal  to  sell  liquor 
there  is  none  to  be  had,  and  liberty  means  simply  a 
chance  to  go  ashore  and  wander  aroimd  in  the  mud 
and  grass.  We  have  set  our  seine,  and  have  caught 
enough  salmon  and  flounders  to  give  everybody  fresh 
fish  nearly  every  day.  When  we  could  get  geese  and 
ducks  we  have  sent  a  fair  portion  forward  among  the 
men,  and  have  shared  alike  ;  and  when  no  geese  or 
ducks  were  to  be  had  we  eat  canned  meat  in  common. 

The  Chinese  cook  is  a  good  cook,  and,  as  I  said  in  my 
previous  letter,  makes  good  bread ;  but  unless  we  con- 
clude not  to  watch  things  too  carefully,  and  to  make  no 
fuss  over  a  stray  hair  or  so,  we  cannot  be  happy. 

The  steward  is  fair  as  a  steward,  and  the  boy  is  sim- 


i)4 


TIIK  VOYAdE  OF  THE  .lEANNETTE. 


!i 


])ly  waste  lumber.  Under  no  eircmiistiuices  shall  I  keep 
him  beyond  this  port.  He  cannot  speak  English  or 
understand  it ;  he  has  already,  by  his  stupidity,  Jilmost 
made  me  grow  gray.  With  it  all,  he  is  as  childlike  and 
bland  as  the  celebrated  "  heathen  Chinee."  He  will 
spill  water,  break  a  plate,  or  stumble  over  us  with  a 
smile  that  is  almost  hejivenly.  All  that  he  is  good  for 
is  to  aggravate  the  steward,  who,  though  he  is  his 
coinitryman,  pitches  into  him  in  Chinese  without  stint. 

Our  furs  are  all  being  made  up  into  clotliing  on 
shore,  and  we  have  a  very  line  outfit  indeed.  With  my 
usual  luck,  I  have  met  another  man  who  makes  me 
presents.  The  agent  here,  Mr.  Newman,  besides  giv- 
ing me  his  own  outfit  of  fur  clothing,  insists  on  my 
taking  his  Winchester  repeating  rifle  with  eight  hun- 
dred rounds  of  amnumition.  In  vain  do  I  protest  that 
I  do  not  want  it,  —  the  ship  owning  already  four,  of 
which  I  use  one.  Mr.  Newman  seems  to  think  I  shall 
not  be  properly  equipped  unless  I  take  his  rifle,  and 
so  rather  than  give  offense  I  accept  it. 

I  also  organized  and  sent  off  a  hunting  party  in  the 
steam-cutter,  consisting  of  Melville,  Collins,  Dunbar, 
and  the  doctor.  I  gave  them  a  tent  and  so  forth,  and 
they  remained  away  all  night,  coming  back  with  about 
a  dozen  ducks,  and  stiff  and  aching  from  the  tramp 
and  sleeping  on  the  ground.  The  doctor  says  he  is  con- 
vinced that  man  must  take  to  hard  work  gradually  to 
get  accustomed  to  it.  I  think  a  tramp  like  that  about 
once  a  year  would  suit  him  very  well. 


:■ 


i 


[from  the  journal.] 

August  21st,  Thursday.  — A  busy  day  with  us.  Com- 
menced to  swing  ship  at  nine  A.  m.  for  compass  devia- 
tion.    At  one  p.  M.  commenced  receiving  stores  from 


It'''" 


.-.i  ^ 


•BBBSB 


SSBKbk^ 


FROM   SAN  FRANCrSCO   TO   ST.   LAWRENCE   HAY.       95 

Mr.  Newman,  consisting  of  onr  fur  clothing,  forty  dogs, 
five  dog  sleds,  forty  sets  dog  harness,  snow  -  shoes, 
tanned  seal-skins,  dressed  beaver-skins,  twelve  sleeping 
bags,  sixty-nine  pairs  aeal-skin  boots,  seven  pairs  deer- 
skin boots,  twenty-two  ptiirs  water  boots,  seventy-eight 
pairs  blanket  socks,  thirteen  dressed  skins,  two  dressed 
wolf-skins,  fifty-two  double  squirrel  jumpers,  twenty 
single  squirrel  jumpers,  four  light  squirrel  jumpers, 
three  tame  deer-skins,  fifty  deer-skin  pantaloons,  twelve 
hair -seal  pantaloons,  one  undressed  deer -skin,  four 
dressed  beaver-skins,  one  baidera,  twenty  cakes,  2,290 
lbs.  compressed  dog  food,  etc.  The  made  up  garments 
have  been  manufactured  from  the  skins,  and  ten  blan- 
kets we  sent  on  shore  upon  our  arrival. 

Mr.  Newman  generously  presented  me  with  a  Win- 
chester sixteen-shooter,  eight  hundred  rounds  ammuni- 
tion, two  deer-skin  jumpers  (parkies),  seal-skin  boots, 
water  boots,  sleeping  bag,  gloves,  and  fur  cap.  To 
this  I  must  add  a  beautiful  Arctic  hare  coverlet  from 
Mr.  Ketchum,  and  sixty  mink-skins  from  the  same  gen- 
tleman for  ship's  use. 

In  our  communications  with  the  natives  on  the  Si- 
berian side  we  must  have  an  interpreter,  and  it  is  ad- 
visable also  to  have  some  one  acquainted  with  the 
driving  and  management  of  dogs  and  sleds.  For  these 
reasons  I  have  hired  two  natives,  named  respectively 
Alexey  and  Aneguin,  recommended  by  Messrs.  Newman 
and  Nelson,  the  Signal  Corps  observer,  as  well  as  col- 
lector for  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  Alexey  was  a 
collector  of  specimens  for  him,  and  speaks  English  and 
even  writes  it  a  little. 

The  terms  of  agreement  are  as  follows :  Alexey  is 
to  receive  twenty  dollars  per  month  and  a  proper  out- 
fit, which  amounts  to  fifty  dollars,  and  at  the  c(  mple- 


uo 


THE   VOYAGE  OF  THE  .lEANNETTE. 


tion  of  his  service  a  breech-loading  (that  is,  Winchester 
repeating)  rilie  and  1,000  cartridges.  His  wile  shall 
receive  provisions  (from  Alaska  Commercial  Company 
at  our  expense)  during  his  absence  amounting  to  live 
dollars  a  month.  Aneguin  is  to  receive  fifteen  dol- 
lars per  month,  a  proper  outfit  amounting  to  fifty  dol- 
lars, and  his  mother  shall  receive  provisions  (also  at  our 
expense)  during  his  absence  amounting  to  five  dollars 
a  month.  Both  men  shall  be  clothed  and  found  in  the 
nece.ssiiries  of  life  until  their  return  to  St.  Michael's, 
Alaska  Territory. 

These  two  men  came  on  board  vith  me  at  five  r.  m. 
Alexey  was  accompanied  by  his  wife  to  say  good-by, 
and  also  his  chief.  To  the  wife  we  gave  a  China  cup 
and  saucer,  with  the  monograui  U.  S.  N.,  which  pleased 
her  greatly,  and  for  her  boy  a  mouth  harmonicum ;  for 
the  chief,  I  authorized  Mr.  Newman  to  issue  a  suitable 
present  from  the  store  at  our  expense.  Alexey  and 
Aneguin  were  nicely  dressed  up  in  white  men's  cloth- 
ing, and  each  wore  a  hat  with  a  red  band  around  it. 

The  adieux  being  said  at  6.30  p.  m.  Mr.  Newman 
and  Mr.  Nelson  left  us,  and  at  seven  p.  m.  we  goi  un- 
der way  and  steamed  out,  being  saluted  with  six  guns 
by  Mr.  Newman  and  three  guns  by  Mr.  Ketchum,  and 
answerinif  with  our  steam-whistle. 


[to    MKS.    UK    LONG.] 

At  Ska,  Augmt  22. 

I  have  changed  all  my  plans.  On  the  20th,  while 
we  were  hoisting  in  our  coal  and  provisions,  I  made  up 
my  mind  that  the  schooner  had  about  twenty  tons 
more  coal  than  we  could  carry  from  here ;  and  as  we 
had  to  go  over  to  St.  Lawrence  Bay,  I  decided  that  if 
■we  had  that  amount  of  coal  there  to  replace  what  we 


FROM    SAN   FUAX(  ISIO    TO   SI'.    LAWKKNM  K    HAY.        !)7 

burned  in  going  over,  we  .should  be  better  oil'  than  if 
we  left  it  behind  at  St.  Michuel's.  Hence  1  stopped 
receiving  coal  and  provisions  and  got  ready  for  sea,  and 
last  evening  at  seven  o'clock  we  steiuued  out  of  St. 
Michael's,  and  are  now  on  our  way  to  St.  Lawrence 
Bay.  1  ordered  the  schooner  to  follow  us.  and  she  was 
to  leave  this  morning,  and  no  doubt  will  arrive  quite 
as  soon  as  ourselves,  for  she  is  liuht  and  we  are  veiy 
deep.  The  sea  is  as  smooth  as  glass,  however,  and  we 
are  going  along  very  nicely.  The  distance  is  only  three 
hundred  miles,  and  i  expect  to  make  the  run  in  two 
and  a  half  days. 

St.  Lawkknck  Bay.  Sihehia,  Atu/itst  •>'>,  1879. 

When  I  had  got  as  far  as  saying  that  we  expected  to 
make  our  run  in  two  and  a  half  days  1  stopped  writ- 


ile 
up 


Nativn  Tattooing.     St.   Lawrence   Bay. 


ing  for  the  night,  expecting  to  make  a  day  of  it  on  the 
i^8d  for  letter-writing.     When  1  got  up  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  23d  it  was  to  find  an  unsettled  look  in  the 
7 


08 


TIIK   VOYAOK   OF    IIIK  .lEANXKT'lE. 


jl 


weather  with  (juite  a  swell  from  tlie  Jiortliward.  1  kept. 
on  becauf^e  we  liail  either  to  do  that  or  turn  hacic,  and 
1  difl  not  hke  to  turn  back.  As  we  .!j;ot  out  clear  of 
the  bind  into  lk'hrin<jj  Sea  the  wind  freshened  consider- 
ably, but  we  were  running  along  live  knots,  and  every 
mile  made  good  on  our  way,  and  1  coulil  not  complain. 
The  water  is  so  shallow  in  IJehring  Sea  that  a  very  ugly 
sea  is  raised  in  a  short  time,  and  consequently  we  had 
it  coming  aboard  in  all  directions;  we  slowed  the  en- 
gines and  eased  her  somewhat,  l)ut  it  freshened  to  a 
eharp  gale  before  many  hours,  and  then  we  had  it  lively 
enough  —  so  lively  in  fact  that  I  had  to  lay  her  to  and 
ride  it  out.  This  gale  lasted  about  thirty  hours,  and 
then  modenited  enough  to  let  us  proceed  on  oui'  way 
yesterday  afternoon,  and  enabled  us  to  reach  here  to- 
day at  two  o'clock  1'.  M.  While  we  were  in  the  gale 
the  day  before  yesterday  one  luuisually  heavy  sea 
broke  on  board,  struck  the  front  of  the  cajjin  on  my 
side,  stove  in  my  window,  and  completely  flooded  my 
room.  1  was  sitting  dozing  in  my  chair,  when  sud- 
denly I  was  buried  by  the  sea,  covered  with  broken 
glass,  and  everything  1  had  was  afloat. 

Our  forty  dogs  are  a  great  item.  They  are  all  good 
sized  and  strong,  and  thus  far  loam  around  the  deck 
in  a  happy  go  lucky  kind  of  way,  fighting  every  five 
minutes,  and  seemingly  Avel?  contented.  We  have  five 
dofi-  sleds  from  St.  Michael's  and  the  four  we  brought 
from  England  make  nine  a  )gether.  I  got  also  three 
skin  boats.  I  hired  two  nai  /es  to  go  with  us  as  dog 
drivers,  very  decent,  intellige  t  men,  and,  wonderful  to 
relate,  very  clean.  I  had  t  em  rigged  out  in  white 
men's  costume,  and  they  look  very  swell  indeed.  They 
live  with  the  men  of  course,  and  their  duty  thus  far  is 
to  feed  and  water  the  dogs.     The  nature  of  these  dogs 


-1 


:■ 


1 


111!; 


•sea 


Vmm    SAN   FIIAN(  lS(u   TO   SI".    l.AWUKNC'K   IJAV.       [)\) 

IH  to  (i^lit  tit  all  times,  jiinl  milcss  ihvy  are  Ix'iiteii  well 
they  will  not  keep  the  }>eiice  at  all. 

IJefore  leaving  St.  Michael's  1  iliseliarged  the  Chinese 
bov  and  placed  him  on  boaid  the  schooner  I'oi*  j)assage 
to  ^iin  Francisco  ;  he  went  on  hoard  the  schooner  with 
the  same  childlike  and  bland  smile  that  has  ever  char- 
acterized him,  accepting  the  inevitable  as  a  [thilosopher. 

St.  Lawrence  Way  reminds  me  ot"  the  scenery  in  the 
Straits  of  Magellan,  with  mounuans  two  thousand  feet 
high  capped  with  snow  ;  the  bay  is  magnilieent  and 
solitary.  A  lew  dirty  natives,  clustering  alongside  the 
shi[)  lor  bread,  are  the  only  signs  ol  lite.  The  natives 
have  nothing  to  sell,  and  aj)pear  lazy  and  worthless  to 
the  last  degree. 


George,' 


[fi{(»m  Tin:  .KtiijN.vi..] 

Ai(f/Ufit  2oth.  —  A  chief  who  calls  himsell'  '• 
and  who  s{)eaks  very  olten  ol"  Captain  Cogan  in  the 
little  English  he  knows,  told  me  he  saw  in  one  of  his 
journeys  las.  winter  a  shi[)  frozen  in  in  Koliutchin  Bay. 
All  my  questions  as  to  whether  ho  boarded  her  then  or 
not  could  not  bring  a  satisfactory  reply,  he  one  time  say- 
ing "yes,"  and  the  next  tune  "no."  When  I  showed 
him  the  chart  of  Admiral  Rody-ers' 
survey  in  the  Vincennes,  he  readily 
pointed  out  Koliutchin  Bay,  East 
Cape,  the  Diomede  Islands.  Con- 
tinuing his  story,  the  chief  said 
three    months    ago  the   same  ship  Bone-pipe. 

Avhich  he  had  seen  in  Kolintchin  Bay  came  to  anchor 
off  his  "  house,"  at  the  northern  side  of  the  entrance 
to  St.  Lawrence  Bay  —  the  bay  itself  being  at  that  time 
full  of  ice.  The  vessel  was  a  steamer  smaller  than  the 
Jeannette.     This  time  he  undoubtedly  went  on  board. 


'i 

i 
1    B 


!l 


100 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANXETTE. 


i^ 


t '  1 

H 


t 


ft 


He  .says  there  were  twenty-live  people  on  board  the 
ship.  The  captain  was  an  old  man  with  a  white  beard, 
and  he  did  not  speak  English.  There  were  two  oth- 
eers  on  board  who  did  speak  English,  and  there  was 
another  officer,  who  was  a  Russian,  and  he  spoke  the 
Chuckch  language  Hke  a  native.  To  this  last  offi- 
cer the  chief  spoke.  When  I  asked  him  if  he  knew 
the  officer's  name,  he  replied,  "  Yes,  he  name  Hor- 
pish."  On  looking  over  the  list  of  the  officers  who 
accompanied  Xordenskjold,  1  find  a  Lieutenant  Nord- 
quist,  llussian  Navy,  and  it  may  have  been  this  offi- 
cer to  whom  the  chief  spoke.  He  did  not  know  the 
name  of  anybody  else.  This  '"'  Horpish  "  told  him  the 
ship  was  Swiss,  (query  Swedish?)  had  wintered  in  Ko- 
liutchin  Bay,  and  was  going  home.  Nobody  seemed 
to  have  any  fur  clothing,  and  everybody  that  came 
on  deck  shivered  with  the  cold.  The  chief  showed 
me  the  track  of  the  steamer  from  Koliutchin  Bay  to 
St.  Lawrence  Bay,  and  pointed  out  the  course  of  the 
hteamer  on  leaving  as  towards  the  Dio- 
mede  Islands,  and  thence  south  along  the 
coast  of  Kamtchatka.  Bemaining  only 
until  the  next  day,  the  vessel  steamed 
out.  Accoruiug  to  the  chief  .she  had 
''  plenty  coals."  As  a  way  of  fixing  the 
date  more  clearly  than  the  vague  state- 
ment '•  three  moons  ago,"  this  steamer 
arrived  seven  days  after  the  departure 
Native's  Lamp.  ^f  Cj^ptjun  Cogau.  Notliiug  clsc  had  since 
called  at  St.  Lawrence  Bay  until  our  arrival.^     This 

^  "  None  of  the  nativos  in  tlic  nei<rhboilio()(l  of  the  Vejfa's  winter  station 
jd'ufessL'd  the  Chrisliaii  n'liiz;ion.  None  of  thciii  spoke  any  European  ian- 
gua^re,  though  one  or  two  iinew  a  couple  of  English  words  and  a  Russian 
word  of  salutation.  Tills  was  a  very  unfortunate  circuuistanee,  which 
caused  us  much  trouble.     But  it  was  soon  remedied  by  Lieutenant  Nord- 


FROM   SAN   FllANCISCO   TO    SI'.   LAWUEXCE   IJAY.      101 


on 
iti- 
.111 
•h 
(1- 


Mits  the  sum  and  substance  of  the  infonuatiou,  and  al- 
though 1  que.siioned  tlie  man  carefully  and  i-epeatedlj^ 
1  could  learn  nothing  further,  while  the  same  story  was 
each  time  repeated  in  detail.  J  can  account  for  our 
not  hearing  of  the  arrival  of  Nordenskjiild,  at  some 
place  in  civilization  up  to  our  departure  from  JSan  Fran- 
cisco, only  on  the  ground  of  his  being  obliged  to  sail 
the  whole  distance  to  Japan,  which  is  a  likely  enough 
supposition. 

1  landed  and  strolled  over  the  sand -spit,  dignified 
with  the  name  of  Lutke's  Island. 
Here  and  there  were  skeletons 
of  whales'  heads,  bones  of  wal- 
ruses, etc.;  and  I  saw  what  seemed 

to     be     a     grave,     without,      how-  Bone  Harpoon  H«ads 

ever,  any  mark  beyonc^  nine  small  stones  laid  in  the 
sand,  in  this  shape  :  — 

o     o     o 

o     o     o 
o     o     o 

Wlieii  we  ancliored,  large  uundjers  of  ducks  seemed  to 
make  this  sand-spit  a  resting-place,  and  several  of  them 
with  their  little  families  swam  around  us.  But  the  shij) 
and  or.rselves  seemed  to  frighten  them  immediately 
away,  for  not  one  duck  was  to  be  found  on  the  island, 
and  the  mother  ducks  and  their  young  paddled  away 
incontinently.  A  small  ])ond  in  the  centre  of  the  spit 
was  resorted  to  by  small  birds  like  snipe,  and  Mr.  New- 
comb  shot  several  to  iidd  to  his  collection.     The  natives 

(juist  ppiicially  tlovotinsj;  liiinsflf  to  the  study  ot  their  lan'^unge,  and  that 
with  such  zeal  and  success  that  in  a  fortnip;ht  lie  could  inakt;  himself  pretty 
well  umlerstood.  The  native-  stated  to  l)e  Lont^,  in  the  autunm  of  1879, 
that  a  person  on  the  '  man-of-war,'  whieli  wintered  on  the  North  Coast, 
fspoke  Chnckeh  exceedingly  well."  —  A.  E.  XoKUKNSK.iiu.n's  Thu  Voyage 
of  the  Veija,  p.  3tjt). 


02917 


102 


THE   VOYAGE   OF    THE  JEANNETTE. 


here  appear  "to  be  in  a  wretched  condition.  Each  fam- 
ily of  about  a  dozen,  adults  and  children,  roamed  about 
in  its  baidera. 

[to    MUS.    UK    LONO.] 

AiKjiist  TJth. — The  schooner  arrived   last  evening, 
and  we  are  now  hoisting  in  the  last  of  the  coal  and  pro- 


Native's  Knife  of  Bone. 


visions,  and  shall  leave  at  seven  o'clock  this  evening. 
The  weather  is  beautiful,  light  southerly  breeze,  and 
smooth  sea,  and  I  am  nnxious  to  be  oft".  And  yet  it 
seems  like  saying  good-by  once  more.  However,  I  am 
in  this  thino-  and  I  am  going  to  see  it  throut2;h. 

I  have  interviewed  the  chief  who  saw  the  steamer 
several  times  since,  and  I  have  about  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  it  was  Nordenskjold's  steamer  that  he  saw. 
When  I  telegraphed  the  Secretary  asking  if  the  rumors 
concerning  the  Swedish  Expedition  were  reliable,  he 
referred  to  the  Secretary  of  State.  This  Secretary  tel- 
egraphed to  our  Minister  at  Stockholm,  and  the  Minister 
telegraphed  l)ack  that  Nordeuskjold,  when  last  heard 
from,  was  at  Cape  Serdze  Kamen,  and  was  to  leave  in 
May.  Now  Cape  Serdze  Kamen  is  one  hundred  and 
thirty  miles  from  here,  and  there  is  a  settlement  on  the 
Cape.  I  have  decided  to  go  there  and  make  an  in- 
quiry, and  if  I  find  the  Swedes  were  there  and  have 
left,  1  shall  ])ush  for  Wrangel  Land  at  once ;  if  not  — 
and  there  is  the  sticker  —  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to 
grope  along  until  I  find  where  they  did  winter.  We 
have  nearly  one  hundred  and  sixty  tons  coal,  and  all 


FROM   SAN   FRANCISCO   TO   ST.   LAWRENCE   HAY.     103 

our  provisions  in  the  ship,  and  we  can  afford  to  steam 
a  great  deal  jet. 

We  shall  tow  the  schooner  outside  the  harbor  as  we 
go.  The  natives  are  rather  an  ugly  looking  lot,  and  I 
do  not  care  to  leave  the  schooner  alone  with  her  little 
crew  ot  six  men.  I  have  given  the  captain  fifty  dol- 
lars for  hunself ;  he  has  waited  upon  us  faithfully,  and 
carries  back  our  mail-bag  to  General  Miller  for  us  as 
well  as  our  smiling  angel  of  a  Chinaman. 


Bone  Shovel,  Front  Viev 


Bone  Shovel,  Side  View. 


r 

1 

'1  ^ 

!     !i! 

"St  I 

■li 

ii 


CHAPTER   IV. 

DRIFTING   IN   ICE   OFF   HERALD   ISLAND. 

27  Auffitst  —  ;J0  Sej)teinbei,  1879. 


Through  Behring  Sti;iit.  —  Cape 
Later  Vessel. —  Chief  George, 
ings  of  the  Vega.  —  Coasting  ai 
—  Grinding  througli  the  Ice.  - 
Bear-Traps.  —  A  Sledge-Part y 
the  Party.  —  A  Bear-Cha.se.  — 
perimeuts  to  deternuue  the  Air 
sumption  of  Coal.  —  Tlie  Drift 
Bills  of  Fare.  —  Daily  Routine 


Serdze  Kauien.  —  A  Letter  left  for 
—  Koiiutcliin  Bay. —  Definite  Tid- 
1  Ice-Pack.  —  Herald  Island  sighted. 
—  The  Guilder  unshipped. —  Setting 
toward  Herald  Island.  —  Return  of 
Herald  Island  Disappearing.  —  Ex- 
breathed  on  the  Berth  Deck.  —  Con- 
lee. —  An  Electric  Phenomenon. — 


August  27//<,  Wedne^ddy.  —  At  7.35  p.  m.  we  got 
undor  May,  with  schoonei;  in  tow,  and  stood  out.  Let 
go  of  schooner  at  9.30,  and  she  stood  to  the  southward 
and  eastward,  with  northeast  wind,  while  we  shaped 
course  N.  N.  E.  and  stood  toward  Behring  Strait. 

August  2Sth,  Thursdrnj.  —  Tlie  day  opens  with  its 
(to  us)  usual  accompaniment,  a  head  wind.  As  we  ap- 
proached Behring  Strait,  the  wind  freshened  consid- 
erably, blowing  from  N.  N.  W.  true,  a  heavy  fog 
blowing  over  the  blulf  highland  on  the  Asiatic  side. 
Tust  to  the  southward  of  East  Cape  saw  a  schooner 
close  under  the  land  and  standing  to  the  southward. 
Upon  showing  our  ensign,  she  hoisted  American  colors. 
As  she  had  a  crow's-nest  at  her  mast-head,  I  assumed 
that  she  was  a  whaler.  The  wind  seemed  to  draw  reg- 
ularly down  through  the  Strait  as  through  a  fuimel,  and 
as  we  ^mssed  through,  the  wind  hauled  to  the  westward 


rl 


DRIFTING   IN   ICE   OFF   HERALD   ISLAND. 


105 


its 


(le. 
tiier 
ird. 
)rs. 
led 

Ind 
Ird 


with  us,  finally  heading  us  at  N.  W.  true.  The  surface 
water  ranged  from  2"  to  4°  higher  than  the  air  in  tem- 
perature, but  1  was  unable  to  detect  positively  any 
current,  although  it  would  seem  natural  to  suppose  that 
the  warmer  water  set  to  the  northward.  The  dredge 
brought  up  from  twenty-eight  fathoms  a  fair  collection. 

Aiffjust  2d{h,  Friday.  —  Before  leaving  St.  Lawrence 
Bay,  I  had  decided  to  call  at  Cape  Serdze  Kamen  to 
seek  tidings  of  Norden>k)old.  While  in  San  Francisco, 
I  had  seen  in  the  newspapers  that  he  had  passed 
through  Bohring  Strait ;  and  I  telegraphed  to  the 
Navy  Department  asking  if  such  a  report  was  consid- 
ered reliable.  Before  sailing,  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  sent  me  a  copj^  of  a  communication  from  the  Sec- 
retary of  State,  giving  the  words  of  a  cablegram  from 
Mr.  Stevens,  our  Minister  at  Stockholm,  who  had  been 
telegraphed  to  for  information:  "Last  at  Serdze  Kamen; 
was  to  sail  in  May."  Besides  this,  I  had  received  a 
cable  from  Mr.  Sibiriakoif,  of  St.  Petersburg,  asking  me 
to  leave  papers  for  Captain  Sengstaecke,  commanding 
the  A.  E.  Nordenskjrdd,  a  vessel  built  by  Mr.  Sibiria- 
koff,  to  go  in  search  of  the  Vega.  For  these  two  rea- 
sons, therefore,  I  determined  visiting  Serdze  Kamen, 
with  the  hope  also  of  verifying  the  tidings  received  at 
St.  Lawrence  Bay. 

The  land  to  the  northward  and  westward  of  Behrinij 
Strait  is  so  vaguely  described  in  books  of  sailing  direc- 
tions, and  so  roughly  delineated  on  the  charts,  that  it 
was  very  difficult  to  determine  which  cape  was  Cape 
Serdze  Kamen.  We  have  had  no  observations  for  lat- 
itude or  longitude  at  noon,  and  are  rather  uncertain  as 
to  our  whereabouts.  However,  between  noon  and  four 
p.  M.  I  stood  in  toward  the  land  for  a  kind  of  bay  sur- 
lounded  by  high  round  hills,  and  at  four  sighted  a  col- 


106 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


lection  of  native  houses  on  the  port  hand  on  a  high 
bluff,  and  another  collection  of  native  houses  right 
ahead  on  the  beach  at  the  foot  of  die  bay.  At  the 
same  moment  the  sun  appeared,  and  Mr.  Danenhower, 
by  using  the  given  latitude  of  Cape  Serdze  Kamen,  N. 
07°  12',  obtained  the  longitude  as  given  that  place  on 
the  chart.  This  bay  appeared  to  have  a  general  north 
and  south  direction,  to  be  about  seven  miles  in  width 
at  its  entrance,  with  fine  large  headlands.  All  around 
the  edge  of  the  bay  was  fringed  with  broken  pieces  of 
bay  ice  in  a  soft  and  rotten  condition.  The  bay  was  in 
depth  about  four  miles,  I  should  say.  Stood  in  care- 
full}',  keeping  lead  going,  and  at  5.10  p.  M.  anchored  in 
8  1-2  fathoms  water,  hard  bottom,  sand,  and  stones. 
We  kept  steam  ready  for  a  start  at  a  moment's  warning, 
for  a  fresh  N.  W.  wind,  rough  sea,  and  hard  bottom 
made  our  anclurage  a  little  precarious. 

As  soon  as  the  crew  had  supper,  I  took  whaleboat, 
and,  accompanied  by  Lieutenant  Chipp,  Mr.  Dunbar, 
Mr.  Collins,  and  the  Alaskan,  Alexey,  went  in  towards 
the  settlement  at  the  foot  of  the  bay.  I  drew  up  'he 
following  paper  to  be  left  with  the  natives,  addressed 
"  To  the  Commanding  Officer  of  any  Ship  visiting  Cape 
Serdze  Kamen:  "  — 


1 


United  States  AncTic  Steamer  Jeaxxette, 

Cape  Serdze  lunncii,  Aitf/iist  29,  1879. 

This  vessel  stopped  in  hero  this  diiy  at  five  P.  u.  to  endeavor 
to  learn  sometliing  iibout  the  Swedisli  Exploring  Expedition 
under  t'  3  comiiitind  of  Professor  Nordenskjold.  We  arrived 
at  St.  Lawrence  Bay  on  the  25th  inst.,  and  learned  from  the 
r:  •^ivcs  tliere  that  a  steamer  which  had  wintered  in  Koliutchin 
].  .  'lad  come  to  St.  Lawrence  Bay  and  remained  one  day, 
■  !ii<;^,  chive  months  before  our  arrival,  for  home  by  way  of 
tlio  ivamt^  luitkau  coast.     Her  captain  was  an  old  man  with  a 


DRIFTING  IN   RE  OFF  HERALD  ISLAND. 


lOT 


white  beard,  and  he  did  not  speak  English.  Two  officers  on 
board  did  speak  English,  and  there  was  jvn  officer  who  was 
Russian  who  spoke  the  Chuckch  language  like  a  native.  With 
this  hist  officer,  who  was  named  Ilorpish  (?),  the  natives 
spoke,  and  were  told  the  ship  was  a  Swiss  (?)  which  was  going 
home,  having  wintered  in  Koliutchin  liay.  We  left  St.  Law- 
rence Bay  at  7.30  p.  m.  August  27th.  Came  here  because 
this  is  the  place  at  which  Nordenskjold  is  last  reported  to  be, 
and  because  I  was  requested  by  Mr.  Sibiriakoff,  of  St.  Peters- 
burg, to  leave  papers  here  for  Captain  Sengstaecke,  who  com- 
mands the  steamer  Nordenskjold,  now  on  her  way  here  from 
Europe.  The  officers  and  men  under  my  command  are  all 
well,  and  we  expect  to  sail  to-night  for  Wrangel  Land  by 
Koliutchin  Bay. 

Please  communicate  this  news  of  us  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  Washington,  D.  C,  United  States  of  America. 

George  W.  De  Loxg, 

Lieutenant  U.  S.  Navy, 
Commanding  American  Arctic  Ej'pedition. 


With  this  letter  uiid  a  bundle  of  newspapers  ad- 
dressed to  Captain  Sengstaecke,  I  attempted  to  land. 
Upon  getting  in  toward  the  beach  we  found  so  much 
ice  moving  about  as  to  make  a  landing  impossible ;  but 
after  pulling  to  and  fro  for  about  half  an  hour,  we 
saw  the  natives  getting  ready  to  come  out  to  us  in 
a  skin  boat.  Presently  they  succeeded  in  getting  out, 
but  to  our  disappointment  we  could  not  make  each 
other  understood.  Hoping  to  learn  something  by  per- 
sistence, we  led  the  way  back  to  the  ship,  the  natives 
following  in  obedience  to  our  signals.  The  chief,  a 
stout,  not  ill-looking  man,  was  seated  amidships  in  his 
baidera,  clad  in  a  bright  red  tunic  and  a  cloth  cap  (that 
evidently  came  at  some  time  from  civilization),  with  all 
the  dignity  of  a  king. 

Upon  arriving  on  board  ship  nothing  could  make  this 


108 


TlIK   VOYx\GE  OF  TIIK  JEANNETTE. 


( 


|i 


chief  or  his  people  iinderstaiid  what  we  wanted  to  know, 
and  after  an  hour's  effort,  bacl^ed  by  charts  and  all  sorts 
of  pantomime,  we  had  to  give  it  up  and  let  the  natives 
go  ashore.  I  could  not  leave  it  like  this,  so  I  deter- 
mined to  wait  until  daylight,  send  Chipp  in  again  to 
make  a  landing  if  possible,  and  look  for  any  traces  of 
white  men  havinijc  been  there. 

Au(jiist  oO//<,  Saturddij.  —  At  three  a.  m.  Lieutenant 
Ohipp  went  in  shore  in  the  whaleboat,  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Dunbar  and  Alexey,  as  also  by  Mr.  Collins.  This 
time  a  landing  was  effected,  and  by  great  good  luck  a 
satisf actor V  result  was  obtained.  Upon  entering  the 
chief's  hut  another  attempt  was  made  to  make  him  un- 
derstand what  we  were  after,  without  avail.  By  a 
happy  inspii-ation  an  old  squaw  was  brought  forward 
(who  came  originally  from  somewhere  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  King's  Island),  and  it  was  found  that  Alexey 
and  she  could  understand  each  other.  From  that  time 
forward  all  was  plain  sailing.  The  story  heard  at  St. 
Lawrence  Bay  was  repeated  in  detail, —  the  steamer 
having  stopped  here  also  one  day  and  then  gone  home. 
"  Ilorpish "  seemed  to  be  equally  well  known  here. 
Following  Chipp's  return  on  board  came  the  chief  and 
his  tribe,  including  the  old  squaw,  and  we  had  the  story 
over  again,  with  the  addition  that  the  steamer  had  win- 
tered on  the  east  side  of  Koliutchin  Bay,  had  built  a 
house,  (an  observatory  ?)  which  she  took  down  and  car- 
ried away  on  leaving.  Times  and  dates  we  could  not 
get  at,  nor  names,  except  the  never-failing  "  Horpish." 

If  Nordenskjold  had  left  any  kind  of  a  written  paper 
at  St.  Lawrence  Bay,  or  at  this  place,  it  would  have 
saved  much  uncertainty ;  but  as  he  had  no  uneasiness 
about  his  situation,  and  of  course  knew  nothing  about 
the  excitement  in  Europe  and  America,  his  not  leaving 


Wr 


DUIFTINC   IN   ICE  OFF  IIEKALD   ISLAND. 


100 


any  paper  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  As  Koliutoliin 
Bay  was  somcwliat  in  our  track  I  concluded  to  look  in 
tliere  in  passinj^. 

Lest  anybody  coming  after  us  should  be  perplexed 
for  want  of  proof  of  our  having  beni  at  Scrdze  Kanien, 
I  made  sure  that  the  chief  knew  that  he  must  exhibit 
the  letter  which  I  wrote  yesterday  to  any  ship  that 
called  in ;  and,  moreover,  I  gave  him  a  sailor  cap  with 
the  ship's  ribbon  bearing  the  word  "  Jeannette "  in 
bright  gold  letters,  of  which  the  chief  was  so  proud 
that  I  knew  he  would  exhibit  it  to  all  foreigners.  Col- 
lins wrote  a  notice  of  our  visit  on  a  piece  of  paper  which 
I  signed,  and  it  was  pasted  in  this  cap. 

All  these  things  being  done,  and  tobacco,  tea,  and 
bread  being  presented  (rum  was  asked  for  but  declined) 
to  the  chief  and  needles  to  the  squaw,  and  some  salmon 
and  deer  meat  being  returned  by  them,  we  said  good- 
by,  and  at  six  a.  m.  got  luider  way  and  steamed  out. 
At  ten  A.  M.  saw  a  baidera  under  sail  standing  for  us 
from  still  another  collection  of  huts  near  the  west  cape 
of  this  bay.  Ran  down  to  them,  but  as  they  could  not 
be  understood  by  us,  and  evidently  had  not  much  to 
say,  we  left  them  and  proceeded  on  our  way.  Foggy 
and  misty  from  noon  to  midnight ;  N.  W.  and  N.  winds. 

August  ?A.st,  Sunday.  —  During  the  night  let  the 
ship  run  along  west.  At  five  a.  m.,  having  run  off 
enough  distance  to  bring  us  on  the  meridian  of  the 
eastern  edge  of  Koliutchin  Bay,  sighted  a  point  of  land 
bearing  south  true,  and  a  low  coast  line  extending  east 
and  west.  An  extensive  pack  of  old  ice  continuing  to 
about  five  miles  from  the  land  seemed  to  reach  as  far 
as  eye  could  see  east  and  west,  with  a  funnel-shaped 
opening,  the  funnel  point  toward  the  land.  Supposing 
that  such  an  opening  would  be  caused  by  a  river  empty- 


w 


110 


THE   V()YA(JE   OF  THE  JEANXE  TTE. 


ing  its  watcM-s  into  ii  l)iiy,  and  tlio  eliart  showing  such  a 
river  iiowing  into  Koliutchin  IJay,  I  docidod  to  stand 
into  the  opening,  which  we  accorcHngly  did  at  5.40,  the 
land  being  hidden  at  times  by  passing  snow-squalls. 

At  seven  a.  m.  made  out  what  looked  like  houses  on 
the  ridge  of  a  small  hill  back  from  the  beach,  which  1 
now  saw  we  could  not  get  to  on  account  of  the  bay  ice 
fringing  it  for  about  two  miles  in  extent,  —  our  funnel- 
shaped  opening  closing  up  at  that  distance  from  the 
shore.  A  little  later  1  could  make  out  several  houses 
quite  j)lainly  from  ni}^  post  in  the  crow's-nest,  and  at 
eight  o'clock,  having  reached  the  edge  of  the  ice, 
.stopped  the  shi[)  and  sent  in  Lieutenant  Chipp,  Mas- 
ter Danenhower,  Mr.  Dunbar,  and  Alexey  in  the  whale- 
boat,  for  one  more  effort  to  make  sure  that  Norden- 
skjold  had  passed  south  in  safetj'.  During  the  absence 
of  the  whaleboat  kept  the  engines  ready  to  nu)ve  the 
ship,  and  backed  when  it  was  necessary  to  keep  the 
ship  off  the  ice.  At  ten,  got  a  sounding  in  fifteen 
fathoms,  coarse  gravel,  and  lowered  the  dredge  with 
good  results.  Mr.  Newcomb  also  shot  and  added  to 
his  collection  some  large  gulls.  The  whaleboat  could 
be  seen  from  the  ship  .aloft,  winding  her  way  in  and 
among  narrow  lanes  of  water,  and  I  Matched  her  anx- 
iously while  Melville  handled  the  ship,  until  I  saw  her 
land  and  her  people  mingle  with  some  natives  who 
had  come  down  to  the  beach  to  meet  the  boat.  At 
one  p.  M.  Lieutenant  Chipp  and  party  returned,  and 
brought  back  information  which  Avas  reliable  beyond 
question.  The  Vega  wintered  here,  about  two  miles 
more  to  the  southward  and  westward  than  this  native 
settlement.  Chipp  was  walked  along  the  beach  and 
the  place  pointed  out  to  him.  As  well  as  could  be 
made  out  (for  no  one  spoke  or  understood  English  on 


YIH 


DKIFTIXd   TN    IVK  OFF   IIKKALD   ISLAND. 


Ill 


Hliore,  and  Alcxoy  was  ol"  no  more  use  in  this  country 
than  ourseives),  the  Voga  left  here  for  the  eastward 
two  or  three  niontlis  ago.  Tol^ens  of  the  Vega  were 
bought  by  Chipp,  he  using  his  vest  l)ntt()ns  as  ready 
cash,  and  brought  off  to  the  ship.  [Among  otiier 
things  there  were  three  navy  buttons,  —  Swedisli,  Dan- 
ish, and  Russian.]  These  navy  buttons  alone  would  be 
proof  enough  of  the  Vega  having  wintered  here,  lie- 
cause  no  other  ship  was  in  this  part  of  the  world  with 
Swedish,  Danish,  and  Russian  naval  oflicers  on  board. 

Hoisted  the  wbaleboat  and  steamed  out  to  the  north- 
ward at  1.10;  at  two  held  divine  Ferviee,  and  1  believe 
all  our  hearts  were  thankful  that  at  last  we  knew  Nor- 
denskjDld  was  safe,  and  we  might  proceed  on  our  way 
toward  Wraiioel    Land.^ 

The  ice  on  the  western  side  of  our  funnel-shaped 
opening  made  out  from  the  land,  so  that  it  was  5.15 
p.  M.  before  we  were  clear  enough  of  the  pack  to  shape 
our  course  N.  W.  by  N.  At  six  we  sighted  a  large 
island,  supposed  to  be  Koliutchin  Island.  During  the 
first  watch  we  were  much  bothered  by  loose  ice  in  large 
lumps,  requiring  constant  conning  to  avoid  trouble.  At 
ten  p.  M.,  iinding  the  ice  growing  heavier,  I  put  her  on 
the  other  tack  to  N.  E.  true,  and  stood  out  of  it,  stop- 
ping the  engines  from  11.40  to  twelve,  to  let  the  ship 
drift  through  some  small  openings  into  open  water. 

Septotiber  Ist,  3Iomlay. — An  ordinary  day,  so  far 
as  events  go.  Durino;  the  afternoon  laud  was  sio;hted 
bearing  S.  W.,  —  probably  the  land  around  Cape  North 

1  Baron  Nor(lenskjol<'.,  after  wintering  at  this  place,  was  released  from  the 
ice  July  18,  187!),  piissi-d  Scrdze  Kainen  on  the  19th,  anchored  off  St.  Law- 
rence Islaml  on  the  31st.  and  again  off  Behring  Island  August  14th,  reach- 
ing Yokohama  September  "id.  When  Cuptain  Do  Long  saw  Chief  George, 
therefore,  the  Vega  had  been  gone  a  mouth  only,  and  not  three,  as  he 
gathered  from  the  chief.  —  Ed. 


T 


112 


rili:   VoVACE  OF  TIIK  .IKANN'KITK. 


1- 


ii! 


!t 


oil  tin;  Slheiian  coast.  Altliou^h  this  liiiid  is  sixty 
miles  Ironi  our  position,  I  can  i)(!count  lor  our  seeing 
it  only  liy  mil  a, no.  It  cIhI  not  really  seem  over  thirty 
miles.  A  <!onsi(leiai)le  amount  ol'  j)ii('k  ice  was  between 
us  and  tliis  land.  We  were  l'avore(l  with  a  beautiful 
Hunset.  and  a  moonlight  and  starlight  iii!j,ht. 

Si^ptanhvr  '1(1,  y'ltcsffai/.  —  On  our  course  from  eight 
last  evening  until  seven  this  morning,  —  N.  W.  (at 
which  time  we  were  about  one  liundred  miles  from 
the  southeast  cape  of  Wrangel  Land).  But  at  the 
last-named  hour  made  the  ice-pack  ahead,  and  extend- 
ing as  far  to  the  westward  as  we  could  see.  During  the 
forenoon  watch  we  ran  through  a  lot  of  loose  ice,  mak- 
ing a  true  north  course  a.s  well  as  possible.  At  1 !.;}(), 
being  through  the  loose  ice,  were  confronted  by  the 
solid  pack,  which  headed  us  off  to  the  N.  E.  true  during 
the  afternoon  watch  while  we  were  skirting  it. 

At  noon  sounded  in  twenty -four  fathoms,  —  thick 
blue  mud  and  shells.  A  line  S.  E.  breeze  had  sprung 
lip  by  this  time,  to  which  we  made  all  .sail,  and  were 
slipping  along  six  knots  while  coasting  the  ])ack.  Be- 
ing headed  off  to  N.  E.  true,  and  increa.siug  cur  dis- 
tance from  Wrangel  Land  instead  of  diminishing  it,  I 
decided  at  nine  r.  m.  to  bank  fires,  save  coal,  and  let 
her  go  under  sail  for  the  night.  Stopped  engines  there- 
fore at  9.50.  To-day,  having  bright  surJight  all  day, 
were  able  to  locate  our  position  by  observation.  Lati- 
tude GO"  10'  N..  longitude  17(?  6'  30"  \V 

Septemher  od,  WedueKilai/.  —  A  lively  day.  At  (me 
A.  M.  sighted  the  ice  ahead  and  on  the  weather  bow. 
Hauled  sharp  by  the  wind,  but  before  we  could  get 
steam  had  closed  in  on  the  ice,  striking  it  easily  with 
our  port  side,  and  we  lay  there  until  we  had  steam 
enough  to  crawl  otT.     No  damage  done.    Found  we  had 


DIUFTING    IN    R"K   OFl"   IIKHAI.I)   ISLAND. 


li;i 


<lrifte(l  into  a  buy  in  tlie  ice.  Iluuled  oil"  to  tho  ejiHt- 
wiinl  and  soutlieiiHt. 

At.  (liiylight  tho  woiitlicr  became  thick  and  fog«ry. 
♦Sitrlitod  u  baniue  to  tlie  S.  E.  unchM"  nil  sail.  Had  her 
in  siuht  lor  throe  liours,  uhon  wo  lost  jior  in  the  foir. 
At  her  nearest  she  was  fonr  miles  distant,  and  we  were 
too  anxious  about  lindini;  a  decent  opening  in  the  pack 
to  run  down  and  speak  lier.  At  eight  a.  m.,  there  be- 
ing nothing  but  ice  in  sight,  except  to  the  S.  E.  where 
we  liad  come  from,  I  concluded  to  put  the  ship  into  a 
likely  looking  lead  in  tho  pack  o|)onlng  towards  the 
N.  W.  We  accordingly  worked  along  in  this  lead, 
keeping  a  gcmeral  N.  W.  direction  until  3.10  r.  m., 
when  it  became  so  loggy  and  the  ice  so  closely  packed 
that  we  stopped  and  planted  an  ice-anchor  in  a  conven- 
ient floe.  Meanwhile,  at  noon  we  got  soundings  in 
twenty-eight  fathoms  (blue  mud),  and  towed  the  di-odge, 
adding  some  star-lish  to  our  collections.  At  4..'}()  the 
log  lifted  a  little  and  we  got  under  way,  working  to 
northward  true  until  5.30  p.  M.,  when  we  again  an- 
chored to  a  floe,  the  fog  becoming  impenetrable.  Calm 
with  thick  fog  up  to  midnight.  At  seven  p.  m.  sounded 
in  thirty-eight  fathoms  (blue  mud).  Tired  with  my 
day  in  the  crow's-nest. 

September  ith,  Thursday.  —  The  day  opens  calm  and 
with  a  thick  fog.  Still  at  anchor  to  the  Jloe.  We  ob- 
serve a  gradual  closing  in  of  large  tloos  around  us,  and 
a  seeming  drift  of  small  pieces  to  the  southeast  through 
the  small  water  spaces.  The  rigging  is  one  mass  of 
snow  and  frost,  presenting  a  beautiful  sight ;  but  as  we 
are  more  interested  in  progress  than  in  beautiful  sights 
it  has  but  little  charm  for  us.  The  pack  ice  surround- 
ing us  seems  to  have  a  uniform  thickness  of  about  seven 
feet,  —  two  feet  being  above  the  water.  It  is  somewhat 
8 


sasaas^^aisassaa^aaasg"  im^B^"^"^ 


'^mmmimimm 


I. 


114 


THE  VOYAGE   OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


Ininimocky,  but  I  do  not  observe  any  hummock  greater 
in  hriojht  than  six  or  seven  feet.  New  ice  has  made 
around  the  sliip  during  the  night,  the  temperature 
standing  at  29°  during  the  night  and  up  to  eight  A.  m. 
Sounds  as  of  surf  heard  to  southeast  indicating  open 
water  in  that  direction. 

At  two  p.  M.  the  fog  cleared  away,  and  we  spread 
fires  at  once  and  got  under  way.  The  greatest  amount 
of  water  space  seeming  to  be  to  the  northeast,  we  nuide 
our  way  in  that  direction  generally,  and  at  4.30  we  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  out  of  tlie  pack  into  tlie  open  seji ; 
that  is,  comparatively  open,  because  the  pack  extended 
from  southeast  around  by  west  to  north,  while  only  to 
the  eastward  was  there  open  water.  Upon  reaching 
this  open  water  we  passed  a  drifting  tree  that  seemed 
to  have  been  torn  up  by  the  roots,  but,  more  important 
still,  land  was  sighted  at  4.30,  bearing  W.  N.  W.  true. 
From  the  reckoning  we  have  been  able  to  keep  of  our 
position,  this  land  is  Herald  Island,  discovered  and  landed 
upon  by  Captain  Kellett,  of  II.  M.  S.  Herald,  in  1849. 
Not  caring  to  put  the  ship  in  the  close  pack  which  ap- 
peared to  the  northward  of  us  and  lose  sight  of  Her- 
ald Island  without  advancing  materially,  I  slowed  the 
engines  and  kept  +h«^  ship  turning  round  in  circles  for 
the  night,  just  clear  of  the  ice.  According  to  our  po- 
sition we  were  about  forty  miles  from  Herald  Island, 
and  as  it  was  very  much  distorted  by  mirage  we  could 
not  make  a  closer  estimate  of  the  distance.  Wind  dogs 
around  the  sun  at  setting,  but  a  beautiful  moonrise 
gave  promise  of  a  fine  night, 

September  oth,  Friday.  —  A  clear  and  pleasant  day 
throughout,  with  light  northerly  breeze.  At  four  A.  m. 
spread  all  fires  and  got  a  full  head  of  steam,  and  entered 
the  pack  through  the  best  looking  lead  in  the  general 


DRIFTING   TN   RE    OFF   HERALD   ISLAND. 


115 


dirootion  of  Herald  Island.  For  the  first  two  hours  we 
had  but  little  troul)le  in  making  our  way.  but  at  six  a.  m. 
we  connnenced  to  meet  young  ice  ranging  from  one  to 
two  inches  in  thickness  in  the  leads,  and  seemingly  grow- 
ing tougher  as  we  proceeded.  Wo  ground  along,  how- 
ever, scratching,  and  in  places  scoring  and  cutting  our 
doubling,  until  8.40  A.  M.,  when  we  came  to  pack  ice 
from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in  thickness,  which  of  course 
brought  us  up.  Anchored  to  the  floe  to  wait  for  an 
opening. 

Durins:  the  forenoon  there  were  several  occasions 
when  we  distinctly  saw  land  beyond  and  above  Herald 
Island,  as  well  as  to  the  southwest  of  and  beyond  it.  I 
should  at  first  have  been  inclined  to  think  that  the  land 
above  and  beyond  Herald  Island  was  a  kind  of  false 
island  made  by  the  mirage ;  but  as  the  land  seen  to  the 
southwest  of  Herald  Island  was  in  the  shape  of  high 
sugar-loaf  snow-topped  mountains  with  clearly  defined 
edges,  such  as  could  not  have  been  caused  by  mirage, 
for  there  were  no  hummocks  in  our  floe  horizon  to  be 
thus  distorted,  I  am  strengthened  in  my  belief  that  we 
really  saw  the  land.  Its  distance  is  impossible  even  to 
estimate.  Looking  across  the  ice  distr.rbs  one's  belief 
in  his  accuracy  in  measuring  distances  by  the  eye.  For 
instance,  on  board  shii)  we  generallj'  agree  as  to  the 
distance  of  an  object  at  sea ;  but  here  in  the  ice  no 
two  estunates  correspond.  We  put  the  distance  of  this 
land  seen  beyond  Hei.'ld  Island  at  various  limits,  rang- 
ing between  forty  and  one  hund.red  miles ;  and  thougii 
since  sighting  Herald  Island  last  night  we  liave  steamed 
town/'ds  it  twenty  miles,  one  half  the  estimated  dis- 
tauv^e,  but  few  of  us  agree  as  v,o  its  distance  now.  We 
range  from  ten  to  forty  miles.  At  one  r.  :m.,  tueing  an- 
other chance  to  make  a  mile  or  two,  wo  got  up  steam 


aMrr)»ai>iij  \^itinf,M«iiMnfi:.i:*^iati»a 


^■MkiB£>w^'-<  .^it^Mxiwc  ■  '^ 


''1  i    ^ 

* 

'■'  i  :  ! 

:    ■     ■     ; 

r  1 

1 

5'i 

i; 


I 


s  yiii 


m 


116 


TIIK    VOVAdP:    OF    I'lIE  JKAXNETTE. 


and  worked  alioad  tliroiiti:li  thin,  now  ice,  and  lietween 
detached  |)ieces  of  lioe.  At  fonr  we  ancliored  ai>;ain  to  a 
Hoe,  and  banked  tires.  Our  sides,  on  the  d  ibling,  are 
scraped  hi'i<^ht,  and  scratched  and  cut  to  some  extent, 
but  they  are  the  s^•lrs  of  honorable  wounds  received  in 
action  with  the  ice. 

Septcmhrr  C>fh,  Saturday.  — This  is  a  <^lorious  country 
to  learn  patience  in.  I  am  hoj)in<jj  and  praying  to  l)e 
a1)le  to  get  the  ship  into  Herald  Island  to  make  winter 
quarters.  As  far  as  the  eye  can  range  is  ice,  and  not 
only  does  it  look  as  if  it  had  never  broken  np  and  be- 
come water,  but  it  also  looks  as  if  it  never  would.  Yes- 
terday I  hoped  tluit  to-day  would  make  an  opening  for 
ns  into  the  land  ;  to-day  1  hope  that  to-morrow  will  do 
it.  I  suppose  a  gale  of  wind  w^iuld  break  the  pack  up. 
but  then  the  pack  might  l)reak  us  up,  and  that  is  not 
to  l)e  desired.  This  morning  shows  some  pools  of  thin 
ice  and  water,  but  as  they  are  disconnected,  and  we 
cannot  jump  the  ship  over  obstructions,  they  are  of  no 
use  yet  to  us.  A  thick  foti:  hauijrs  over  evervthinu:.  even 
the  island.  A  light  northerly  wind  with  a  steady  barom- 
eter, and  a  temperature  '"anging  ])etween  2o°  and  82^ 

At  one  P.M.  the  fog  li.ted,  and  we  saw  a  chance  of 
mauiUg  about  a  mile  toward  the  island.  Spread  fires 
again  and  commenced  forcing  our  way,  ramming  wher- 
ever we  were  oj)j)()sed,  and  with  good  effect.  Of  course, 
ramming  a  ship  through  ice  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
thick  was  impossible,  but  wherever  a  crack  or  narrow 
opening  showed  betw<H'n  two  floes,  even  of  that  thick- 
ness, we  could  by  judicious  rannning,  and  backing  and 
raunning  again,  shove  them  apart  enough  to  squeeze 
through.  Our  steam-winch  did  good  service,  for  "" 
could  easil}'  snub  the  shij^'s  head  into  a  weak  place  when 
we  did  not  have  room  to  turn  her  with  the  helm.     At 


In 


m 

z 

H 

m 

X 

z 
CD 


I 
m 


n 
in 


1^1 


DUIl<TJNG   IN    "JE  OFF   HERALD    ISLAND. 


119 


4.20,  however,  we  had  come  to  solid  floes  again,  and  ns 
the  thick  log  again  shut  in  we  came  lo  with  our  ice- 
anchor.  Wishing  to  save  even  the  coal  we  used  with 
banked  fires,  until  a  good  chance  presented  itself  lor 
<»-oin<'-  ahead,  1  let  the  fires  die  out.  This  evening  three 
bears  came  down  to  about  a  mile  from  the  ship,  but  fied 
upon  being  seen  and  chased  by  our  hunters.  Served 
out   snow-goggles  to    all   hands,  with  orders   to  wear 

them. 

Seplember  7th,  Sunday.  —  A  day  of  complete  rest  in 
every  respect.  The  day  begins  witli  snow,  clears,  be- 
comes and  enJs  foggy.  Ice  moving  a  little,  and  ship 
seemingly  movln^,  to  N.  W.  At  ten  a.  m.  muster  the 
crew,  read  the  Articles  of  War,  and  hold  divine  service. 
At  twelve  got  soundings  in  forty  fathoms  blue  mud. 
In  the  watch  from  eight  to  midnight,  xperienced  a 
slight  pressure  on  tlie  starboard  beam,  shoving  the  ship 
up  on  a  tongue  of  ice  on  the  port  side  and  listing  her 
to  starboard  about  five  degrees. 

Septemher  ^th,  Monday.  —  At  1.30  this  morning  the 
ship  righted  again.  Thermometer  ranging  between  22° 
and  28'.  Forenoon  foggy  ;  afternoon  clear.  No  sign 
of  a  lead  in  any  direction.  Tiie  northerly  winds  seem 
to  have  cemented  the  ice  into  one  enormous  pack. 
Soundings  at  noon  in  thirty-six  fathoms  blue  nmd.  The 
ship  has  evidently  moved  since  yesterday,  when  we  had 
forty  fathoms.  In  the  first  watch  the  ship  heeled  again 
to  starboard  about  9%  and  jammed  the  rudder  hard 
a-starboard. 

Lost  at  any  time  the  question  be  asked  why  I  do  not 
unship  the  rudder  and  screw  at  this  time,  I  will  record 
here  my  reasons.  Our  rudder  is  unusually  strong  and 
heavy  ;  and  though  it  is  a  simple  matter  to  unship  it,  it 
will  be  an  exceedingly  difficult  matter  to  ship  it  again 


^J^?^?vmmMm$^!s^ 


mms 


120 


TUB  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNET'l'E. 


1" 


HI 


unless  we  have  plenty  of  open  water  under  the  stern. 
If  I  trice  up  the  screw  now,  ice  will  surely  form  in  the 
clutch  and  prevent  the  screw  from  getting  back  m  place. 
If  I  expected  the  ship  to  remain  in  this  spot  all  winter^ 
these  reasons  would  have  less  weight.  But  .is  I  con- 
sider it  an  exceptional  state  of  the  ice  that  we  are  hav- 
ing just  now,  and  count  upon  the  September  gales  to 
break  up  the  pack,  and  perhaps  open  leads  to  Herald 
Island,  1  want  the  ship  to  be  in  condition  to  move  with- 
out delay.  Besides,  I  am  told  that  in  the  latter  part  of 
September  and  early  part  of  October  there  is  expe- 
rienced in  these  latitudes  cpiite  an  Indian  Summer,  and 
I  shall  not  begin  to  expect  wintering  in  the  pack  until 
this  Indian  Sununer  is  given  a  chance  to  liberate  us. 

September  \)th,  Tuesday.  —  A  superb  day ;  l)right 
sunlight,  thermomet(.  ]'  rarging  between  21°  and  25°. 
No  sign  of  a  lead  in  anv  direction.  Established  our 
position  to  be  by  observation,  71"  35'  N.,  175°  5'  48" 
W.  At  7.30  p.  M.,  with  a  sunset  entirely  free  from 
clouds,  made  out  land  distinctly  between  S.  W.  and  W. 
and  S.  S.  W.  The  land  furthest  to  the  westward  was  a 
kind  of  table  land,  with  a  range  of  peaks  to  its  south- 
ward, terminating  in  a  low,  flat  strip  just  behind  Herald 
Island.  And  this  is  the  land  which,  two  months  ago 
yesterday,  we  sailed  for  from  San  Francisco,  hoping  to 
explore  this  Avinter.  Man  proposes  but  God  disposes. 
Here  we  are  not  even  able  to  get  to  Herald  Island. 
Ship  still  heeled  9°  to  starboard,  and  great  pressure  on 
the  rudder  casing.  This  must  be  eased  or  we  may 
damage  the  pintles.  We  have  been  tiying  all  day  to 
explode  torpedoes  under  the  stern,  but  our  slow-match 
was  defective  and  would  not  burn,  and  we  could  not  ijet 
an  electric  current  through  our  non-insulated  copper 
wire.     During  the  last  three  days  have  turned  the  dogs 


1 


I    1 


r 


I 

M 


DRIFTING   TN    ICE   OFF    IIEKALD    ISLAND. 


121 


out  on  the  ice,  from  daylight  to  dark,  as  much  to  their 
satisfaction  as  to  ours :  to  theirs,  because  they  can  run 
around  with  more  freedom ;  and  to  ours,  because  we 
can  keep  the  ship  clean  again.  As  we  set  bear-traps 
every  night,  we  call  the  dogs  on  board  ship  to  prevent 
accident.  Though  each  morning  we  see  the  undoubted 
traces  of  bears,  the  traps  seem  to  have  been  avoided. 

September  lO^A,  Wednesday.  —  Calm  from  midnight 
to  noon,  with  fog,  mist,  and  snow  all  day.  LoNvest  tem- 
perature 16",  highest  25°.  In  the  hope  of  helping  the 
ship  to  right  herself,  got  two  tackles  up,  one  at  the  fore- 
mast head,  and  one  at  the  mainmast  head,  hooking  them 
to  ice-claws  and  settiny;  them  well  taut.  Broke  awav 
the  ice  around  the  stern  and  attempted  sawing  with 
ice-saws,  but  with  no  other  effect  tlian  to  bend  up  the 
saws.  Tile  .soundings  of  the  past  few  days  have  steadily 
decreased  :  forty,  thirty-six,  thirty-five,  thirty-two  and 
a  half  fathoms.  The  whole  pack,  witli  ourselves  fast 
in  it,  is  evidently  drifting ;  but  whether  the  shoaling  in 
soundings  indicates  an  approach  to  Herald  Island  or  not 
cannot  be  proven  until  we  get  observations  again  for 
position.     Not  a  sign  of  a  lead  in  any  direction. 

JSejjtember  11th,  TJmrsdaij.  —  The  ship  has  not 
rii2;hted  anv  duriny;  the  niii;ht.  An  examination  of  the 
ice  around  the  stern  this  morninsjc  shows  that  we  are 
between  two  floes  about  fifteen  feet  in  thickness.  The 
ice  on  the  port  side  of  the  ship  has  been  broken  on  its 
upper  edges  and  piled  up  irregularly  fore  and  aft,  while 
on  the  starboard  side  (toward  wliich  tlie  ship  heels)  the 
surface  is  smootli  and  unl)roken.  Tlie  strain  brought 
on  the  rudder  by  tlu^  nip  has  '•  broomed  "  up  the  port 
side  of  tlie  rudder  post  and  rudder  casing,  and  I  am  re- 
luctantly forced  to  the  conclusion  that  we  must  unship 
it.     A  more  severe  nip  might  break   the  gudgeons  or 


122 


THE  VOYAGK  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


bend  the  pintles,  and  wo  might  not  only  lose  our  rudder, 
but  lose  the  means  of  shipping  the  spare  one.  Accord- 
ingly the  rudder  is  unshipped  (with  great  difficulty, 
owing  to  the  small  water  space)  and  triced  up  to  its 
davits,  across  the  stern.  A  thick  mist  prevented  us 
from  seeing  the  island  all  day.  Soundings  at  noon  in 
twenty-nine  fathoms,  light  blue  mud.  Still  shoaling. 
Leaving  the  lead  on  the  bottom,  we  were  carried  away 
from  it  toward  the  northwest. 

At  last  caught  something  in  the  bear-trap,  but  it  was 
unfortimately  one  of  our  finest  dogs.  He  was  caught 
by  the  fore-leg,  the  tooth  of  the  trap  catching  between 
the  bones  without  breaking  them,  and  I  hope  we  shall 
soon  have  him  all  ricrht  again.  Turned  the  starboard 
side  of  the  bridge  into  a  dog  hospital,  and  turned  the 
dog  in  for  repairs. 

Sejjtemher  12th,  Friday.  —  The  day  opened  and  con- 
tinued calm  and  misty  with  occaMonal  flurries  of  snow. 
The  only  thing  to  break  the  monotony  was  the  catching 
of  another  dog  —  our  largest,  Kasmatka  —  in  a  bear- 
trap.  Now  that  the  dogs  have  learned  the  way  to  the 
traps  there  is  danger  of  one  of  them  being  caught  every 
day ;  and  1  consequently  ordered  the  traps  to  be  taken 
in.  Fortunately  neither  of  the  dogs  caught  have  had 
any  bones  broken  or  any  serious  injury  inflicted;  but 
we  cannot  afford  to  have  .any  of  them  laid  up  during 
the  working  season. 

This  inaction  is  most  disagreeable,  and  it  is  even 
more  disagreeable  to  see  no  chance  for  a  change.  The 
only  hope  of  the  pack  breaking  up  is  the  occurrence 
of  a  gale  of  wind ;  and  as  the  weather  has  been  so  uni- 
formly calm  and  pleasant  since  our  being  beset  that  the 
ice  has  become  well  connected  and  solidified,  it  will  re- 
quire a  heavy  gale  to  make  a  change.     Meanwhile,  we 


h;?; 


\\—~ 


l)KIFTIN(i    IN  ICE   OFF    IIKUALl)    ISLAND. 


123 


are  getting  no  nearer  Herald  Island,  and  aro  making  no 
advance  in  any  direction,  unless  we  are  really  drifting, 
ice  and  all,  to  the  N.  W.  It  is  unpleasant  to  realize 
that  our  exploration  for  a  whole  year  should  come  to  a 
stop  on  the  Oth  September,  and  that  at  a  point  which 
a  sailing  ship,  the  V'incennes,  reached  in  1855  without  • 
any  difficulty.  And  here  we  are  in  a  steamer,  and  he- 
set  in  the  pack  before  we  are  two  months  out  of  San 
Francisco.  My  disappointment  is  great,  how  great  no 
one  else  will  probably  ever  know.  1  had  hoped  to  ac- 
complish something  new  in  the  first  summer,  and  we 
have  done  nothing.  While  waiting  for  next  sunnner 
we  are  consuming  our  provisions  and  fuel,  and  running 
the  risk  of  the  enfeeblement  of  the  general  health  which 
a  winter's  confinement  may  produce. 

There  is  a  bare  chance  of  there  being  drift-wood 
on  Herald  Island  to  help  us  out  in  the  matter  of  fuel, 
and  as  this  is  an  important  matter,  I  conclude  to  send 
a  sledge  party  toward  tlie  island  to  get  information. 
Chipp,  therefore,  is  ordered  to  prepare  for  a  journey, 
and  accompanied  by  Melville,  Dunbar,  and  Alexey,  to 
take  a  sledge  and  eight  dogs  to  proceed  toward  Herald 
Island  to-morrow  morning  at  eight,  o'clock.  It  is  just 
as  well,  also,  that  I  should  know  something  about  the 
ice  between  the  ship  and  Herald  Island,  and  the  exist- 
ence of  some  harbor  into  which  the  ship  might  be,  by 
some  happy  circumstance,  secured  for  the  winter,  if 
there  is  to  be  no  further  advance  for  us  this  season. 
In  making  preparations  for  the  sledge  journey  the  day 
ends. 

September  loth,  Saturday.  —  At  eight  a.  m.  the  sledge 
party  leaves.  We  are  all  on  deck  to  see  it  start,  the 
colors  are  hoisted,  and  we  cheer  the  little  party  as  it 
moves  off,  the  dogs  in    high   glee,  dragging  the  sled 


124 


'rilK    V()VA(iK  OF   THE  JEANNMyPTK. 


rapidly  Jiloiig  utter  Alexoy,  who  runs  und  dances  before 
tlieiii.  We  are  now  brought  face  to  face  with  anotlier 
dilficulty:  where  are  we  to  get  water  to  use  without 
expending  our  fuel  in  distilling?  The  ice  all  around 
the  ship  gives  water  that  is  unmistakably  salt,  and  our 
searches  thus  far  cannot  succeed  in  finding  ice  sufli- 
ciently  free  from  salt  to  be  non-injurious 'to  the  con- 
sumers. Even  the  snow  gives  evidence  of  salt  to  too 
great  a  <logree  for  use ;  and  as  we  have  seen  no  ice- 
bergs at  all  (in  fact  no  one  else  has  seen  them  north  of 
Behring  Strait),  we  are  without  any  of  the  fresh  water 
ice  met  with  in  Smith's  Sound  and  Baffin's  Bay.  Tak- 
ing Dr.  Ambler  with  me,  two  sleds,  and  men  with  axes, 
I  started  off  this  evening  on  a  search  for  better  ice. 
About  a  mile  ami  a  half  from  the  ship  to  the  westward 
we  came  to  a  large  lump  of  ice  on  end  on  the  Hoe,  which, 
upon  being  tested  by  the  application  of  nitrate  of  silver 
to  a  melted  portion,  shows  the  presence  of  from  three 
to  five  grains  of  chlorine  to  a  gallon  of  water.  As  this  is 
the  least  objectionable  we  have  found  I  conclude  to  use 
it  until  we  find  better,  or  have  rigged  some  economical 
a])paratus  for  distilling.  Our  coal  accoimt  calls  for  one 
hundred  and  eleven  tons,  and  we  must  economize  so 
that  we  shall  have  enough  to  work  with  next  season. 
If  our  consumption  is  too  great  this  winter,  we  must 
work  under  canvas  and  do  without  steam,  next  sum- 
mer. 

Septemher  14^/<,  Sunday.  —  At  8.30  we  were  pleased 
at  sighting  the  sled  party  returning,  and  at  nine  we 
welcomed  them  on  board.  Chipp  reports  to  me  that 
when  about  seven  miles  from  the  ship  he  found  much 
lighter  ice  than  the  ice-field  we  are  now  in,  it  being  com- 
posed of  Hoe  pieces  cemented  together  by  young  ice,  in 
many  places  just  strong  enough  to  bear  the  weight  of 


I' 


^  4 


DRIFTING   IN    ICK   OFF   HKKALD   ISLAND. 


19' 


tlie  isledge  and  party.     At  ton  miles  from  the  ship  ho 


dintr  E. 


canio  to  a  broad  load,  ono  halt  nulo  wido,  oxtondinj^ 
and  W.  as  far  as  eye  could  roach,  with  open  lanes  ox- 
tending  in  S.  E.,  S.,  and  S.  W.  directions.  Here  the 
ice  was  dilTorent  agaiii,  showing  evidences  of  severe 
pressnre.  The  old  Hoes  were  closer  together,  and  the 
young  ice  was  broken  and  forced  up  into  ridges  of  eight 
to  twelve  feet  in  heiy-lit.  He  followed  the  edge  of  this 
lead  to  the  westward  a  mile  or  so,  when  it  turned  up  to 
the  N.  W.,  with  an  edge  of  soft  and  rotten  ice.  The 
ice  around  Herald  Island  appeared  to  be  rotten  and  cut 
up  with  leads.  The  point  of  view  was  about  fifteen 
miles  from  the  ship  and  five  miles  from  the  island. 
The  shore  was  high  and  rocky,  apparently  cut  in  deep 
ridges,  running  down  the  face  of  nearly  perpendicular 
sides.  He  saw  no  place  that  would  offer  any  protection 
to  a  ship.  He  saw  no  drift-wood,  but  sighted  many 
bear-tracks,  and  one  raven,  and  one  young  seal  which 
Alexey  shot  and  brought  to  the  ship.  There  seems  to 
be  but  one  way  out  of  our  situation.  A  heavy  gale  is 
wanted  to  break  up  this  field  of  ice  we  are  in,  and  to 
give  us  a  chance  to  make  our  way  toward  the  land 
which  we  saw  beyond  Herald  Island.  Failing  this  we 
must  winter  in  the  pack.  Herald  Island  will  be  of  no 
use  to  us,  even  if  we  could  get  to  it ;  but  we  dailj'^  seem 
to  be  increasing  our  distance  from  it  by  drifting  to  the 
N.  W.  We  must  hope  for  observations  to  give  us  our 
position  to  determine  whether  we  have  actually  n  ..\<  1 
or  not.  At  10.30  a.  m.  inspected  the  ship  and  held  di- 
vine service. 

September  15th,  Monday.  —  Mr.  Danenhovver  suc- 
ceeded to-day  in  determining  our  position  by  observa- 
tion. We  were  at  noon  in  latitude  71"  46'  N.,  longitude 
175"  oG'  W.,  and  comparing  this  position  with  that  of 


I 


12() 


TIIK  V()YA(;i-;  OF    rilK  .ikawkttk. 


^  ■ 


llu'  \Hh  inst.,  we  Imvc  cliinigcd  lil'tcoii  miles  to  N.  40" 
W.,  or  lit  the  rate  of  two  and  a  liall'  luiK's  a  day.  Even 
at  tills  rate.  II'  we  eontlniie.  we  inav  reach  Kellett  Land 
or  its  continuation  l)el'ore  s|)ring.  Tills  Is  of  course  l)ut 
a  faint  consolation,  but  It  seems  our  only  one,  for  from 
the  mast-head  we  can  see  nothui<^  but  a  field  of  ice.  If 
there  is  a  contlnnons  current  in  this  part  of  the  world, 
we  shall  probably  test  it  by  our  drift  this  winter,  und 
])erhaps  drift  toward  some  new  land,  as  did  Weyprecht 
and  Payer,  in  the  Tegetthof.  As  to  making  any  prog- 
ress with  the  ship  by  our  own  efforts,  1  see  no  chance  ; 
and  it  looks  as  if  it  would  ta!;e  an  eartluiuake  at  least 
to  get  ns  out  of  our  besetment.  However,  "  the  dark- 
est hour  is  just  before  the  dawn,"  and  our  dawn  may 
be  soon  coming. 

To  prevent  the  water  from  freezing  in  the  boilers 
and  bursting  the  tubes  and  pipes,  we  to-day  emptied 
them,  broke  joints,  and  drained  all  ])lpes.  If  I  were 
certain  of  staying  here  all  winter,  there  is  much  more 
I  should  like  to  do.  Our  decks  are  so  fearfully  lum- 
bered up  as  to  be  a  sure  preventive  to  our  keeping  in 
order.  To  put  up  our  deck-house,  the  steam-cutter  and 
spare  rudder  should  be  removed.  But  where  shall  they 
be  put  ?  If  we  place  them  on  the  ice  we  may  lose  them 
in  a  break-up,  if  a  break-up  comes,  and  we  certainly 
have  no  place  for  them  on  board  ship.  I  suppose,  how- 
ever, they  and  many  other  things  must  take  their 
chances  on  the  floe  this  winter. 

Both  of  our  wounded  dogs  are  improving,  and,  hav- 
ing discharged  themselves  from  the  bridge  hospital, 
have  gone  to  their  brethren  on  the  ice.  Our  bridge 
has  answered  several  purposes  thus  far  for  which  it  was 
not  constructed  ;  for  Alexey  and  Aneguin,  being  over- 
come by  the  heat  of  the  berth-deck  stove,  have  rigged 


•  A  ■ 


d 


DUIFTING   IN    ICE  OFF    IIFHAIJ)   ISLAND. 


127 


a  tent-like  covering  over  the  port  luilf  of  tin;  Inidgc, 
and  moved  in.  To-day  we  leasted  in  the  cabin  on 
the  young  seal  which  Alexey  shot,  and  we  unanimously 
pronounced  it  equal  to  rabbit.  We  have  again  set  our 
bear-trap,  baited  with  seal's  entrails,  and  have  placeil  ii 
so  far  from  the  ship  that  we  hope  the  dogs  nuiy  not 
iind  it. 


^^ 


Seals. 


September  \&th,  Tuesdai/.  —  The  day  opens  and  con- 
tinues with  a  light,  southerly  breeze  ;  the  temperature 
is  from  20°  to  30°.  During  the  morning  watch  land 
was  distinctly  seen  bearing  from  W.  by  S.  to  S.  (both 
true).  However  we  may  be  drifting,  we  are  certainly 
y-ettini?  more  land  in  our  horizon  than  formerlv,  and 
Herald  Island  is  beginning  to  lose  some  of  that  distinct- 
ness which  made  us  declare  at  first  tliat  it  was  only  five 
miles  distant.  It  is  only  on  rare  occasions  that  we  see 
this  far  off  land,  and  it  is  impossible  to  estimate  how 
far  off  it  is.      If   Herald  Island,   which  we   estimated 


■'#^ 


^ 


mil 


mmum<m»*~- 


128 


■'■'"  ""^^^^  '-^  -n-E  .EANNKTTK. 


wginally  at  five  mllp«  i;  * 
twenty  and  twe„ty-fi!e  !"?  TT'  '°  ""^  "et.een 
«'.vty  miles  would  prove  to  b^  T '  ''"  "^'"""'o  "' 
f"l  .1  guess.  At  twelve  we  Jl'  ~  l,  ""'  ""''^  '"  '«'2- 
latitude  to  be  71°  M'N     XV  """  '°  ''«te™ine  our 

f  ■•  longitude  owing  toZl^ZlT"  "^  '''  "'"'^ 
ternoon.  .so  we  know  only  Z,  *'"'™°°»  ™<J  «»- 

northwardfour  nnle.,  in  one  d'^         '''"''  ^""^  '»  «'« 

our^I'Ml"!;^;!;;;::;;^,'':"-  "™'''"*.-™te.-  ^r 

cabin  and  fo,  eeastle '  ovt  "  "  "f  ''"'«''=«  ""  the 
It  is  an  e.xperi,nent  to  be  l-o  f  '"''  ''''  °*'  '=''"r»'"- 
tl.e  cl,arcoal  will  ab.sort  ,alt  "'  "■•'""°' ''"?«  that 

Ea.-ly,n  the  morning  I,ieut«;,„/r,  «-^c,ting  day. 

»"•■•  went  out  to  have°a  lZTtil>  ""'  *'  °""- 

«"no  back  at  nine  to  i.^f  b^ar-trap,  and  they 

"«"tly  been  eaug      L        "'^  ""'  *'r'  '^  ^-^  had  ovf 

'"•-■'king  it  awa;  tZ  the  7'  T"  '""'  •'"<=^^«<'«d  ■" 

."-•  A,iding  Meiviirt,^  :r  :;t  '""■'•^;"' "  -«■  -"' 

n  l'<»-..uit.     Beaching   the  n|.!e   ^.       •""  """'''  ''^t  out        ■ 
f'cen  .set,  one  „.i|e  iZu    tlJ'u-    "'"T  "'«   trap  had 
;»  finding  the  bear',s  ZC^""^  T  '""'  "°  *ffi">lty 
the  trap  naade  a  broad    n.rl"'"*  '''^  '™"'  ^r 
even  ,(  the  drop.,  of  bloo    Ind  n    T  '"""^'''   '°  '"-"ee, 
""vv  also  the  tracks  of  two  „  j    .T    ^"""  ™'«'"'"'t-    We 
ot  the  entrapped  one,  "s  if    !    ''^"^one  on  each  side 
'y  '-a  to  encourage')  iui;;"/™;"'"  ''-'remained 
'°"^'  tran.p  of  near^  .^-^1       '■':^"■"•      ••^''  ''ad  a      , 
»"n.ewhat  heavily  ch^l    Li   '"  """  '■''"'^«-     Be"'g 
'"d  fallen  a  littl^  b   u-:d    i:!:;™"  'r  '''^  '-»t  I 
''ear  howling  as  if  ;„  "p^     f '«'■«>  when  I  heard  n 

others  had  already  .sighted  "he  '"''"■■"■'''  ''"'  the 

""  ^  -'.ed  t[e  ^eent  ^i'l^  irlirX": 


^ 


DKIFTING    IN    HE   OFF   IIEKALD    ISLAND. 


129 


give  the  coup  de  (/race  to  the  bear  entangled  with  the 

trap. 

Instead  of  three  bears  there  were  but  two,  a  male 
and  a  female.  The  male  had  only  one  toe  of  the  left 
forefoot  caught,  and  yet  had  managed  to  break  the 
trap  adrift  and  carry  it  away  without  dragging  his  toe 
oil'.     He  mi<j[;ht  have  left   us  to  inako  a  longer  chase 


the  ch 


rht  b( 


>k 


it  ween  two  small  hunn 
and  anchored  him.  The  female  made  no  attempt  to 
desert  him,  but  ran  ahead  and  back  to  him  as  if  to  coax 
him  on.  Upon  sighting  us  both  rose  on  theii  hind  legs 
and  howled  dolefully,  but  the  thing  was  soon  over. 
Chipp  and  Dunbar  with  Winchesters,  and  Melville  with 
his  Reuiington,  left  me  oidy  a  finishing  shot  at  one  bear. 
Hopiug  that  we  might  get  a  sight  of  the  third  bear 
whose  tracks  we  had  seen,  Melville  and  I  remained 
with  the  dead,  while  Chipp  and  Dunbar  returned  to 
the  ship  to  send  out  men  and  sleds  to  carry  back  the 
prize.  They  left  us  at  11.30  and  reached  the  ship  at 
12.45.  At  2.25  three  sleds  came  out  to  us,  and  nearly 
all  hands  accompanied  them,  the  afternoon  being  turned 
into  a  hoiid.iy  for  the  crew.  We  quickly  rigged  up 
shears  and  weiuhed  our  bears.  The  male  woi<>-hed  580 
lbs.  and  the  female  422  lbs.  Next  wo  had  the  two 
bears  photographed  by  Mr.  Collins,  and  then  they  were 
skinned,  cut  open  and  dressed,  and  the  meat  and  skins 
loaded  on  two  sleds,  our  beam  scale,  sheer  legs,  and 
photographic  gear  occupying  the  third.  While  on  the 
ground  Mr.  Newcomb  shot  several  ivory  gulls  and 
added  them  to  his  collection.  We  set  both  of  our  bear- 
traps,  baiting  them  with  bears'  entrails,  and  after  catch- 
ing a  man  (Manson)  promptly  in  one  of  them,  without 
accident  fortunately,  we  set  out  at  4.10  p.  m.  or  our  re- 
turn journey,  reaching  the  ship  at  5.25,  .-^fter  a  drag  of 


^ 


130 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


three  and  a  half  miles,  all  hands  jubilant  and  happy  as 
after  a  victory.  This  is  a  long  article  about  two  small 
bears,  but  they  were  our  first,  and  our  enthusiasm  is 
pardonable. 

Danenhower  had  excellent  chances  to  get  observa- 
tions  to-day,  and  he  establishes  our  position  to  be  lat. 
rr  50'  N.,  long.  175°  25'  W.,  and  our  drift  in  the  lasl 
two  diiys  seven  miles  to  N.  E.  by  E.  and  a  quarter  E. 
Sounding's    at  noon    in   tliirtv  -  five  and  three  fourths 

CD  %> 

fathoms  blue  mud.  At  sunset  the  weather  had  an  ngl}^, 
threatening  look. 

September  ISth,  Thnrsdrn/.  —  The  day  opens  wiili  a 
fresh  breeze  from  S.  E.  wdiicli  gathers  strength,  and 
the  temperature  rises  from  30"  to  35°.  The  ;ft"ect  upon 
the  surface  of  the  ice  is  to  make  a  y-reat  deal  of  sludi>:e 
and  several  small  pools  and  ponds.  No  perceptible 
cliange  in  our  position,  but  I  have  no  doubt  the  ice  is 
moving  to  the  N.  W.,  and  carrying  us  with  it.  If  this 
weather  continues  there  may  come  a  liberation  for  us, 
"  a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished.' 

The  ice  is  proving  too  salty  for  cooking  and  drinking 
]uirposes,  and  we  have  fallen  back  upon  melted  snow. 
Occupied  the  men  to-day  in  altering  and  lengthening 
our  sleeping  bags,  which  are  too  short  and  too  cramped 
at  the  feet.  Soundings  at  noon  in  thirty-six  fathoms 
blue  mud.  Bring  in  our  bear-traps  lest  we  should  lose 
them  by  the  ice  breaking  up. 

S('j)tc}nher  VJfh,  Frldai/.  —  The  S.  E.  blow  of  yester- 
day continues  throughout  the  night  until  noon,  when 
the  wind  backs  to  E.  S.  E.  and  moderates.  The  bar- 
ometer slowly  falls  to  29.55  and  there  slops.  The 
weather  all  day  is  overcast  and  misty,  with  passing 
showers  of  rain.  The  tomporature  remains  uniformly 
at  33^  and  34°.     At  8.30  A.  m.  Herald  Island  bears  south 


'^ 


DKIFTIXG   IN  K'E  OFF  HERALD   ISLAND. 


l:]l 


iter- 
lien 
|jnr- 
^he 
king 
|nlv 


(true),  and  is  very  distant.  The  changes  in  appearance 
of  this  island  liave  been  slowly  panoramic.  \Ye  have 
crossed  its  face  from  east  to  west  until  its  western  end 
bore  south,  and  have  then  steadily  drifted  away  from 
it  to  the  northward,  so  that  from  a  panoramic  view  we 
have  come  to  a  dissolving  view. 

Septemher  2()th,  Satnnhnj.  —  The  doctor  informs  me 
this  morning  that  he  has  made  during  the  night  ex- 
periments on  the  berth  deck,  to  determine  the  amount 
of  carljonic  acid  while  the  men  were  asleep  and  breath- 
ing the  atmosphere  of  the  deck.  The  experiments 
were  made  with  what  is  known  as  the  '•'  wet  jar,"  and 
the  result  was  as  follows :  In  every  thousand  vol- 
umes of  air  there  were  two  and  thirty-two  hundredths 
(2.3246)  volumes  of  carbonic  acid,  which,  reduced  to  a 
percentage,  shows  .2o24G  per  cent.  The  records  of  the 
exj)edition  of  the  Alert  and  Discovery  show  .430  per 
cent,  on  the  berth  deck  of  the  Alert  on  February  20, 
187G,  and  .482  per  cent,  in  the  ward-roora  on  Jan- 
uary 18,  187'J,  both  observations  being  made  under  the 
verv  worst  circumstances  of  housino;  and  confinement. 
While,  therefore,  our  showing  is  a  very  favorable  one 
in  comparison,  still  it  is  a  bad  one,  for  we  are  only  in 
September,  with  a  temperature  mild  enough  to  leave 
open  every  .iccess  to  the  fresh  air. 

To  experiment  still  further  in  this  nuitter,  and  to 
prevent  the  willful  or  accidental  closing  of  any  doors 
or  the  sky-light  of  the  berth  deck,  and  to  endeavor  to 
prevent  any  serious  amount  of  carbonic  acid  in  the 
ward-rooi  i  and  cabin,  1  issued  to-day  orders  in  regard 
to  the  ventilation  of  these  apartments.  While  these 
orders  are  being  carried  into  eft'ect,  experiments  will 
determine  their  efficiency  in  accomplishing  the  desired 
result. 


;«IfcA^iii^iiS5naS5^S!STL 


132 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


The  measurements  taken  by  the  doctor  to  determine 
the  cubic  air  space  per  capita  show  that  we  are  defi- 
cient in  that  respect  also.  The  berth  deck  is  only  78 
cubic  feet,  the  ward-room  180,  the  cabin  rooms  333, 
and  the  entire  cubic  air  space  of  the  cabin  amounts  to 
1,500  feet.  In  the  Alert  the  cubic  air  sp.'ice  per  man 
was  107,  and  in  the  Discovery  140.  The  comparison 
is  again  unfavorable.  The  cubic  air  space  will  be  in- 
creased for  the  men  when  we  come  to  build  our  deck- 
house, and  I  hope  the  carbonic  acid  gas  will  largely 
disappear  in  that  edifice. 

All  these  things,  and  the  dlsuj^pointment  at  having 
accomplished  so  little  the  first  season,  give  me  enough 
to  think  about.  There  is  nothing,  however,  but  pa- 
tience and  earnest  effort  to  improve  matters  that  will 
avail  me  anything,  and  to  these  two  things  I  must 
devote  myself. 

The  result  of  the  S.  E.  blow  and  the  mild  tempera- 
ture has  been  to  open  lanes  in  our  immediate  neighbor- 
hood, but  none  of  them  are  of  any  great  extent,  and 
the  heavy  pack  shows  across  the  openings  which  are 
not  more  than  fifty  feet  wide.  If  we  were  not  securely 
held  between  two  floes,  I  would  move  into  one  of  these 
leads,  even  if  we  advanced  only  half  a  mile.  (We 
would  havQ  moved  at  all  events  and  have  broken  the 
monotony.)  But  we  are  securely  held  as  in  a  vice, 
and  heeling  5°  to  starboard.  Soundings  at  noon  in 
forty  fathoms  blue  mud.  We  aie  now  increasing  our 
depth  as  we  increase  our  distance  from  Herald  Island. 
Brought  up  some  new  specimens  with  the  dredge. 

September  2\sf,  Sunday.  —  At  the  usual  Sunday  in- 
spection held  by  me  to-day,  I  concluded  to  make  some 
changes  in  the  internal  arrangements  of  the  berth  deck. 
The  order  of  yesterday  about  keeping  the  doors  open 


#. 


t 


DRIFTING    IN  ICE  OFF    HERALD  ISLAND. 


11) .» 


n  the 
vice, 
m  in 
our 
iland. 

\y  in- 
come 

leek. 

)pen 


leading  from  the  old  galley-room  to  the  berth  deck 
must  be  modified,  as  the  cold  is  too  great  at  night  and 
causes  the  men  to  complain  sadly.  We  therefore  bored 
sixteen  Is  inch  holes  in  the  lower  panel  of  each  door, 
which  1  hope  will  insure  a  proper  supply  of  fresh  air. 

Nindemann  has  up  to  this  time  occupied  a  cot  hung 
in  the  old  galley-room.  In  order  to  move  him  into  the 
forecastle,  I  order  a  man  transferred  from  one  of  the 
after  berths  to  one  of  the  vacant  forward  ones.  This 
brings  the  transferred  man  too  near  the  stove,  which  is 
in  the  eyes  of  the  ship,  and  we  must  move  the  stove  to 
the  middle  of  the  berth  deck  and  carry  the  mess  table 
forward.  These  additions  to  the  carpenter  work  of  the 
ship  necessitate  taking  Nindemann  off  watch  and  add- 
ing him  to  the  carpenter  gang.  During  past  week  the 
engineer's  force  has  been  employed  in  scaling  and 
cleaning  the  port  boiler,  and  overhauling  and  laying 
up  the  engines.  The  coal  return  for  the  past  week  is 
as  follows :  — 


Galley  .  . 
Cabin  .  . 
Berth  Deck 


1,000  lbs. 
360  lbs. 
440  lbs. 


daily  average,  142o  lbs. 
daily  average,  51?  lbs. 
daily  average,     62?  lbs. 


Total,     .     .    1,800  lbs.  =  daily  average,  257}  lbs. 
Amount  of  coal  remaining  on  hand,    .    llO^jlH  tons. 

As  coal  is  the  most  precious  article  which  we  have  on 
board  ship,  its  economical  use  is  a  matter  of  paramount 
importance.  To  bring  about  the  utmost  economy,  I 
have  concluded  to  put  the  whole  affair  in  the  charge 
of  Chief  Engineer  Melville,  and  to  give  him  entire  cog- 
nizance of  all  stoves,  the  galley,  and  the  issue  and  ex- 
penditure of  fuel.  I  have  therefore  given  him  a  writ- 
ten order  to  that  effect. 

At  10.30  A.  M.  perform  divine  service.     At  noon  we 


It' 


134 


TIIK   A'OYAGE   OF   THE  JKAXNETTE. 


obtain  our  position  by  observation,  —  latitude  72*  10' 
23"  N.,  longitude  175°  2C/  22"  W.,  — and  from  this  po- 
sition we  establish  the  fact  that  in  four  days  we  have 
drifted  twenty  miles  to  the  north,  one  degree  west,  or 
at  the  rate  of  five  miles  a  day.  Herald  Island  is  al- 
most a  thing  of  the  past.  It  is  now  but  a  small  patch 
in  the  horizon,  difficult  to  separate  from  the  interven- 
ing hummocks.  From  ten  to  eleven  r.  m.  have  a  fine 
aurora.  Tiie  ship  still  altering  her  heading  in  the  last 
twenty-four  hours  from  S.  W.  and  2  S.  to  W.  by  N,, 
both  magnetic. 

September  2ith,  Wednesday.  —  At  two  a.  m.  the  ther- 
mometer registered  T^,  our  lowest  thus  far,  and  the 
temperature  gradually  rose  until  at  noon  it  reached  24°, 
and  remained  nearly  the  same  to  close  of  day.  Ob- 
tained to-day  longitude  o\i\y, —  175°  21' W.,  —  show- 
ing a  drift  of  seveii  miles  to  the  east  in  two  days. 

This  drift  of  ours  is  in  no  sense  uniform  or  capable  of 
being  foreseen.  It  does  not  depend  seemingly  upon  the 
wind,  for  it  is  dilYevent  with  the  same  winds  at  different 
times.  That  even  light  winds  occasion  drift  and  press- 
ure is  evident  from  the  fact  that  the  ice  about  a  mile 
from  the  ship  in  all  directions  is  constantly  assuming 
new  shapes.  We  seem  to  be  hold  in  the  centre  of  a 
large  floe,  sufficiently  strong  to  save  a  severe  nip  to  the 
ship  find  to  resist  pressure  on  its  edges.  A  mile  from 
the  ship  in  any  direction  new  ice  six  inches  thick  is 
piled  up  in  tables  from  six  to  twenty  feet  in  height  by 
the  coming  together  of  floes.  One  day  we  find  large 
spaces  of  water,  the  next  day  we  find  the  spaces  nar- 
rowing, and  the  third  day  the  sjiaces  are  closed  and 
slabs  of  new  ice  six  inches  thick  are  piled  up  on  end 
like  a  confused  fence  six,  twelve,  and  eighteen  feet 
high.     We  seem  to  move  only  in  azimuth,  remaining 


r 


DKIFTING   IX    ICE   OFF   HERALD   ISLAND. 


135 


Dress- 
mile 
ming 
of  a 
the 
Ifrom 
3k  is 
It  by 
large 
1  nar- 
and 
end 
ifeet 
iiing 


heeled  over  to  starboard  5".  Our  floe  si,fters  no  jar 
even,  and  immediately  around  the  ship  the  conditions 
of  ice  do  not  change,  except  as  snow-falls  level  all  the 
projecting  surfaces. 

An  occasional  gull  is  all  that  we  see,  and  each  day 
the  number  seen  diminishes.  Occasionally  a  seal  ap- 
pears in  an  open  pool,  and  is  fired  at  without  success. 
According  to  Alexey,  a  seal  hit  in  a  bone  will  sink  or 
die  under  the  ice,  —  an  explanation  for  several  hits 
failing  to  secure  the  seals  struck.  The  experiment  for 
carbonic  acid  on  the  berth  deck  since  the  boring  of  the 
auger  holes  in  the  door  and  the  moving  of  the  berth 
deck  stove  show  an  improvement.  Last  night's  figures 
give  1.8012  volumes  of  carbonic  acid  per  one  thousand 
volumes  of  air,  or  .18012  per  cent. 

September  2oth,  llmrsday.  —  At  1.50  a.  m.  a  very 
curious  electric  phenomenon  was  observed.  A  ball  of 
electric  light  formed  about  one  quarter  mile  from  the 
ship  on  the  surface  of  the  floe  (in  size  about  that  of  "  a 
barrel,"  according  to  Mr.  Dunbar),  throwing  out  rays  in 
all  directions,  and  slowly  rose  and  w^orked  away  from 
the  ship,  decreasing  in  size  and  brilliancy.  When  al- 
most extinct  it  advanced  again,  increasing  in  brilliancy, 
and,  descending  to  the  floe,  disappeared.  This  oc- 
curred twice  in  seven  minutes.  The  appearance  of  the 
electric  ball  was  preceded  by  a  fine  aurora.  Unfortu- 
natelj^  Mr.  Dunbar,  who  had  the  watch,  did  not  call  me 
to  see  this  extraordinary  occurrence.  Mr.  Collins  was 
called,  but  before  he  came  on  uv^ok  the  display  was 
over.  The  foregoing  is  made  from  Mr.  Dunbar's  de- 
scription. 

At  5.40  p.  M.  land  is  sighted  bearing  S.  by  W.  and  I 
W.  true  ;  and  although  mirage  has  distorted  its  outline 
into  an  unknown  and  unrecognized  shape,  I  am  quite 


# 


136 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


sure  it  must  be  Herald  Island.  All  sign  of  bird  life 
seems  to  be  gone.  On  rare  occasions  a  gull  is  seen,  but 
only  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  water-hole,  and  these 
water-holes  are  growing  extremely  rare.  One  bear- 
track  was  sighted  this  afternoon  to  our  satisfaction,  for 
we  had  begun  to  fear  that  bears  too  had  disappeared 
with  the  birds.  Not  a  bear-track  has  been  seen  save 
this  one  since  our  capture  of  the  ITtli  inst. 

Scjjtemher  2Sth,  Sunday.  —  Snowing  pretty  much  all 
day.  At  ten  a.  ^i.  inspected  ship  and  had  divine  service. 
In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Newcomb  and  Alexey  shot  two 
female  walruses  about  two  and  one  half  miles  from  tlie 
ship,  weighing  .about  one  thousand  pounds  each.  Sent 
out  the  dogs  and  dragged  them  in,  one  after  the  other, 
gaining  a  valuable  addition  to  our  dog  food.  One  of 
the  females  was  with  young,  and  I  have  directed  Mr. 
Newcomb  to  save  the  foetus.  He  will  also  save  the  skin 
of  one  in  order  to  mount  it  on  our  return,  and  the  htad 
of  the  other  for  mounting  on  board  ship.  The  wisdom 
of  having  one  officer  look  out  for  our  fuel  is  evident. 
The  coal  report  shows  a  saving  of  three  hundred  and 
seventy-five  pounds  in  the  past  week. 

September  oOth,  Tuesday.  —  The  month  ends  with  a 
full  moon,  but  beyond  an  occasional  view  of  it  through 
drifting  snow  it  has  not  been  of  much  comfort.  It 
makes  but  little  difference,  however,  because  we  have 
so  much  sunlight  that  we  can  be  very  independent;  but 
I  suppose  the  time  will  soon  come  when  we  shall  con- 
sider the  moon  our  best  friend,  and  watch  anxiously  for 
her  advent. 

Our  drift  since  last  observation  (26th  inst.)  has  been 
five  miles  S.  W.  b}^  W.  We  seem  to  swing  around  a 
kind  of  an  irregular  triangle,  independent  somewhat  of 
local  circumstances  of  wind  or  current.     After  our  first 


li 


4 


DRIFTING   IN   ICE   OFF   HERALD  ISLAND. 


137 


Ibeen 

kid  a 

It  of 

I  first 


J 


besetment  we  had  a  positive  drift  to  the  northward,  and 
then  an  equally  positive  drift  to  the  eastward  (makinj^ 
two  sides  of  the  triangle),  and  now  we  seem  to  begin 
the  third  side  leading  back  to  the  beginning.  Either 
we  are  in  a  kind  of  dead-water  back  of  a  current,  or 
the  floe  in  which  we  are  caught  is  loose  among  a  lot  of 
surrounding  fields  of  ice,  and  we  carom  from  one  to  the 
other.  On  our  clearest  days  we  can  see  no  land,  else  I 
might  hope  that  we  had  drifted  into  a  pocket  between 
two  islands  or  two  continents,  and  might  probably  re- 
main thereabouts  until  spring. 

The  meteorological  observations  have  shown  several 
times  of  late  that  the  water  at  the  bottom,  has  been 
from  one  and  one  half  to  two  degrees  colder  than  at 
fifteen  fathoms,  and  the  water  less  dense.  Mr.  Collins 
argues  from  this  the  existence  of  a  warm  current  at 
fifteen  fathoms,  but  until  the  change  in  temperatures 
is  more  decided  I  shall  withhold  my  acquiescence  in 
that  opinion. 

In  order  to  have  an  exact  estimate  of  the  amount  of 
food  consumed  by  the  crew  and  officers,  and  to  place  it 
upon  record  in  case  of  any  inquiry  hereafter,  I  have 
caused  an  exact  account  to  be  kept  of  the  meals  for  the 
past  week,  and  will  enter  it  here.  The  food  here  men- 
tioned has  been  served  out  regularly  since  leaving  San 
Francisco  (with  the  exception,  of  course,  of  bear  meat, 
and  in  its  absence  some  preserved  meat  has  been  sup- 
plied), and  the  bill  of  fare  for  one  week  will  serve  as  an 
index  to  the  whole.  We  have  still  a  large  quantit}^  of 
fresh  potatoes,  and  a  small  quantity  of  fresh  carrots  and 
onions,  so  that  for  some  time  we  shall  not  be  down  to 
our  strict  ration  table.  When  all  our  fresh  vegetables 
are  gone,  another  week's  meals  will  be  entered  as  a 
sample.  We  keep  our  vegetables  from  freezing  by 
stowing  them  in  a  coal  bunker. 


-1). 


;l 


138 


THE   VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


BILLS  OF   FARE   FOR   PRECEDING   WEEK 

Articles  iiiaikiMl  with  an  X  wore  nrivon  to  oflicors' 
salt,  Illola^iset^,  vinegar,  luustanl,  and  sanccs  not  niontioned 


H  only.     Pepper, 


Wednesday,  September  24,  1879. 


Beef 

Potiitoes 
Fresh  Hread 
Butter 
Coffee     . 
Sugar 


Pork        . 
Beans 
Tomatoes 
Potatoes 
Pickles   . 
Flour  for  Duff 
Raisins  . 
Hard  Bread 


Bear  ]Meat 
Peacli  Butter 
Green  Gages  X 
Potatoes     . 
Tea 
Sugar 
Butter     . 
Fresh  Bir^ad 


UREAKFAST. 


DINNER. 


SUPPER. 


8  lbs. 


20 
11 


2tV 
2tV 


45A 

33  lbs. 
16 
10 
5 

2A 

16 

4 
1:5 


09,« 


18  lbs. 


3,> 


3 

15 

1 


O  1 

-Tff 

O   I 
-Iff 


11 


bb\% 


Total  number,  33 ;  total  weight,  200^^^ ;  average  per  man, 
6  lbs.  1  oz. 


0 


DlilFTING  IN  ICE  OFF  HERALD  ISLAND.  13^ 

l^urtda^^  September  26th. 
BREAKFAST. 


Haddock  X 
Corn  Bread  X 
Pork 

Potatoes         . 
Coffee 
Sugar    . 
Milk 
Bread    . 


Bear  Meat 
Soup     . 
Pork 
Corn      . 
Potatoes    . 
Hard  Bread  . 


Mutton     . 
HamX 

Potatoes    . 

Peach  IJtitter  X 

Dried  Apples     , 

Butter    . 

Sugar 

Tea        .        , 

Milk 

Bread     . 


DDTNEE. 


SUPPEB. 


4  lbs. 

12 

7 
15 

h 


Butter  *  .     * ^^ 

-w 


63f^ 

24  lbs. 

7 

4 
12 
12 

5 

64 


Total  number,  33 ;  total  weight,  178|J ; 


7i  lbs. 

3 

.   12 

n 

•    3i 

2tV 

1 

4i 

2tV 

• 

h 

15 

51i 

average  per  man,. 

140 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


Friday,  September  26<A. 

mtEAKFAST. 

Codfish       . 

12  lbs. 

Mackerel  X 

4 

lloiniiiy     . 

i 

I'otatoes 

15 

1 J  read 

10 

Sugar     . 

^1% 

ColToc 

4A 

Butter   . 

1 

Milk 

DINNER. 

4 
663 

Salt  Beef  . 

3i>  lbs. 

Tomatoes 

10 

Potatoes    . 

15 

Hard  Bread 

8 

Flour 

3 

Pumpkin  X 

1 

I^ard 

1 

Sugar     . 

2 

:Millc 

1 

Split  Peas 

8 

Bacon 

SUPPER. 

2 
88 

Bear  Meat 

IS  lbs. 

Potatoes 

15 

Prunes 

5 

Bread    . 

10 

Tea 

1 

Sugar    . 

3t% 

Milk 

h 

Butter   . 

1 

Total  number,  83 ;  total  weight,  193^  j  average  per  man, 
6  lbs.  13  oz. 


rr'f 


DItlFTING   IN  ICE  OFF   HERALD  ISLAND. 


141 


Beef 

Potatoes 
Sugar 
Milk      . 
CofTee 
Butter   . 
Bread 


Beef  Soup 
Mutton  . 
Macaroni  . 
Tomatoes 
CJieese 
Potatoes 
Hard  Bread 


Beef  . 

Kidneys  X 

Potatoes    . 

Quince  I? utter 

Bread 

Tea 

Sugar 

Millc       . 

Butter 


iiaturday,  September  27th. 
BUEAKFAST. 


DINNER. 


SUPPBB. 


8  lbs. 

20 
4lV 

Mi 
1 

10 


48,«, 


ff 


12  lbs. 

15 

4 

6 

2 

10 

10 

59 

8  lbs. 

2 
15 

5 
15 

1 

4tV 

h 
1 


51  !• 

Total  number,  33:  total  wfiiwlif    i<;o,. 
4  lbs.  12f  oz.  ^    '  ^^^^  '  ^""^'^^^  P^'^  '^'^^y 


'  ■  H 


142 


THE   VOYAGE   OF  THE  JEANX^TTE. 
^unda^,  September  28th. 


Beef 

BBEAKFAST. 

Oat  Meal 

• 

8  lbs. 

l^otafcoes 

• 

•            7 

Bread    , 

• 

.       15 

Sugar 

•          •          .          . 

10 

Coffee     ,         ,    ' 
Butter 

•          • 
•          •          .          . 

MiJk      . 

•                 • 

•         « 

• 

1  o 

1 

• 

h 

Ox-TailSoup 

DDWEB. 

5h 

Roast  Bear 

• 

•       12  lbs. 

Pork          .     '         * 

•          •          .          . 

26 

Sti'ing  lieans 

• 

4 

Potatoes 

• 

12 

Beets 

• 

.      10 

Jelly           ^     '         ' 

• 

4J 

Hard  Bread    . 

* 

J 

Raisins 

* 

1 

Flour  (Duff) 

• 
* 

3 

16 

Mutton 

SCTPPER. 

"sT 

Potatoes 

• 

8  lbs. 

I^ainsons    . 

*           •           »           . 

15 

Pears  X 

* 

6 

Flour         .     \     * 

2 

Yeast  Powder 

' 

6 

Ginger 

i 

Bread 

• 

i 

Sugar          .         ^     ' 

16 

Tea 

• 

4iV 

Milk 

1 

Butter   .    *        '        * 

• 

i 

1 

l^i 


69rtr 


If 


Monday,  September  2m. 


BREAKFAST. 

Beef 

•                       - 

Mution 

•                       •                       , 

• 

6  lbs. 

Bread 

• 

3 

Sugar     . 

•           t           . 

20 

Butter 

•           •           .           . 

•           »           ^ 

■*tV 

Coifee    . 



*                      - 

1 

Milk 

• 

•                      •                      . 

4,> 

Potatoes 

• 

• 

h 



5 

Mutton  Broth    . 
Roast  Beef 

Tomatoes 
Okrji      . 

•  t 

Potatoes    . 
Han]  Bread  . 


DINNER. 


12  lbs. 
14 

6 

4 


^1 


Bear  Steak 
Potatoes 
P>iead 
Sugar     . 
Butter 
Milk      . 
iea  . 
Dried  Apple 


8UPPER. 


56 

20  lbs. 
1.', 

15 
1 

1 

5 


I'll^'^^'^-^^^-igbt,     16U; 


61tV 


4  11,3.  14 


average  per  man, 


144 


THE   VOYAGE   OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


Tuesday,  iSeptember  ilOth. 
BRJiAKFA.ST. 


■I  M  ■ 


Bacon 
Hominy 
Potatoes 
Bread    . 
C\jffee 
Butter   . 
Sugar 
Milk      . 


Beef  Soup 
Roast  B<  ar    . 
Pork 
Potatoes 
Hard  Bread 
Onions  . 
Gooseberries  X 
Lard 
Flour 


Beef 

Potatoes 
15  read 
Tongue  X 
Tfa  . 
Sugar 
Milk 
Duck  X  . 


DINNER. 


•  •  B 


•  • 


•  • 


SUPPER. 


13  lbs. 
7 
15 
10 

4H 
1 

4tV 
h 


55^ 

12  lbs. 

26 

4 

15 

5 

3 

U 

h 

1 

68 

8  lbs. 

15 

15 

3 

1 

4iV 

h 

n 

48tV 
Total  number,  33;  t»tal  weight,  lili^;  average  per  man, 
5  lbs.  3  oz. 


ir  \  yf^Mii  \'fc 


bs. 


i 


an. 


^m-n.o  :»  xc,  on-  „kka.o  ,«.^„. 


4  A.  M. 

D.30 


7.30 

8 

8.30 


10 


11.30 


11.45 
12  M. 
^2.30  P.  M 
1 


145 


4 

5.30 
6 


DAILY  ROUTINE. 
September  m  ,o  September  21^. 

Call  ship's  cook. 

Call  all  hands      Coffee 

Turn   to.       Clean    decks.       Wash    .1  .. 
.J^-ak  ice  in   fire-hole.    Ex    ute         "• 
"ig  orders.  J^^ecute  nioi-n- 

One  watch  to  breakfast. 
;^ther  watch  to  breakfast. 
^»rn   to.      All   hands   on   deck      i 
particular   work    to  Z   a         "^^'^^  ''^"■>^ 
one  watch  only  ""'   "^'^^''^''^^ 

i^eport  berth  deck  renr^,.  f      • 

oi-  snow  ioi-  ,,,.,1  "  '"'"^"'e  '"e 

Sound  in  US.     W.,f„„  .^ 

VVatch  below  to  dinner. 

•  ^^'iK've  watches  and  other  watch  to  r 
Turn  to  all  h'^^^t\^  ^  ^"  fbnner. 

Haul. ,p,„.e,,e;ex„.i„e  and  .ouieeo. 

Relieve  watch 

^atch  below  to  supper. 

i^eheve    watch;    other   watch    tn 

Watch  peel  vegetables     r  '"PP^^^- 

etH  and  nut  ,,?  ^""^^^^  '''"  t>"ck- 

fire-hol,/        '^""  "^  quarter-deck  near 

10 


146 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


8  P.  M.        Out  galley  fire ;    boatswain  and  carpenter 

report.      Sot    anchor   (?)  watcli    of    one 
man :  watcli  lasting  two  hours. 

9  Put  out  berth-deck  lamp. 

From  September  22d  to  80th  the  routine  was  changed 
to  the  following  extent :  — 
7  A.  M.       Call  all  hands,  ship's  cook  being  called  at 


5  A.  M. 


One  watch  do  the  work  before  breakfast. 
6.30  P.  M.  Out  galley  fire. 
7  Boatswain  and  carpenter  report. 


carpenter 
of    one 


I  changed 
called  at 
ikfast. 


f 
I 


CHAPTER  V. 

FAST    i:^   TJJE   ICE. 

October  — Mvember,   1879. 
Reappearance  of  rieraJd  Island  -  r      rr 
C^uii-  3Ioi...e  be.veen  De^.'^'CZ'  "7^'''''-  ^  ^^'^'^ 

-/he  lee.       T„e  Noises  of  t  C,^     r  ^'"';;%^--  ^  ^^'^^^ 
»'  ater  on  the  Port  Side  —  X„  "'  ~"  -^'"^  Grn.din.r.  __  Qp,,. 

October  Isf,  Wednesday.  _  The  d, v 
and  .s„„,v,„g,  „,itb  a  stiff  ^J,„   ^  °P«"«I  cloudy 
''  g«"eraily  unsettled    o'k  atout  .7     "'  '"""^'  """I 
P'onused  a  blow.     For  the  TTJ"  ""•''"""■'  "'"ch 

■nomcte,.  indicated  a  veloertvo  ^  """"-^  ""' «»«- 

«"d  tlie  fourth  hour  iWI  "  """^^  "''" ''«"'•' 

-^  -  ^'■.  when  it   „c      sd  to  r'"?'"'^  ^-^'"-'/"..ti 

"'"--    F'-om  that  tin 0  t,L   1      ?  "'  °'  '»-™'y-isi.t 

"euty-four  uules  au  h„  r  the  ^    "T  ""''"''  ''  '•^'■■™g«' 
»«'eked  to  N.  E.  „„„  ™'  ;  h«  wu,d  .„ee  noon  lu  J„^„ 

from  the  northward  ami  el.,  d"^''  *''^  fe""«  «■•■- 

Pan.ed  by  any  J,,,,  ten,™  r!^  '  "  ^"'  "»'  "ccom- 

.-^'  "eing  20%„d  thei::::t    ;=  '";7""'""-'^'  "•«  ''%>'- 

■■'  open  water  to  the  northward'  f     ""*'^  ""^  "''•"  "'«'•« 

i«''-"t,u-e,  and  the  wind  bl"^  "^  "'  of  a  warm  ten- 

•^'"en  oif  it  before  ^Ic     J  "^tl  "?h   "l  '"'  "'-"'" 

=  us.     The  gale  was  aceom- 


148 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


m 


panied  with  considerable  snow,  in  perfect  squalls,  blow- 
ing like  dust  into  every  crevice  and  choking  it  up. 
While  out  for  exercise  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  see 
through  the  snow,  and  our  tracks  were  filled  as  soon 
as  made.  Everything  was  one  blinding  mass  of  snow- 
dust. 

October  Id,  Thitrsdai/.  —  Went  out  in  the  afternoon 
to  see  the  result  of  the  gale.  To  the  northward  of  us 
there  was  quite  a  space  of  open  water,  extending  about 
three  miles  east  and  west  and  one  half  mile  in  width. 
Across  the  opening,  ice  could  be  seen  in  pack,  and  the 
floe,  in  which  the  ship  was  fast,  seemed  to  be  moving 
past  it  to  the  S.  E;  To  the  southward  and  eastward  of 
us  the  same  extent  of  open  water  was  visible,  and  the 
surface  of  our  tloe  was  soft  and  mushy,  making  us  sink 
frequently  to  the  ankles. 

October  dd,  Friday.  —  Soundings  at  noon  in  24^ 
fathoms  blue  mud  and  dark  gravel.  The  dredge 
brought  up  some  delicate  white  coral.  This  is  a  very 
interestiiig  circumstance,  for,  unless  this  has  been  carried 
here  by  the  warm  waters  of  the  Kurosiwo  current,  its 
presence  can  be  accounted  for  only  by  natural  growth, 
and  I  have  never  heard  of  coral  forming  in  such  cold 
waters  as  those  we  are  now  in. 

To  our  great  surprise.  Herald  Island  was  in  plain 
sight  this  morning,  bearing  S.  S.  E.  (true),  and  distant 
probably  thirty  miles.  We  have  drifted  to  the  S.  W.  of 
our  last  position,  therefore,  about  thirty  miles,  or  at  the 
rate  of  ten  miles  a  day.  My  remark  about  our  drift- 
ing on  the  third  side  of  the  triangle  is  verified  fully. 
Whether  there  is  heavy  ice  impinging  on  land  to  the 
northward  of  us,  which  keeps  our  ice-field  from  advanc- 
ing (in  fact,  caroms  it  back),  or  whether  there  is  a 
regular  S.  W.  current,  I  cannot  yet  say  ;  but  it  looks 


I    i 


FAST  IN  THE  ICE. 


149 


Is,  blow- 

r    it    up. 

e  to  see 

as  soon 

of  snow- 


fternoon 
ird  of  us 
ng  about 
ill  width. 
,  and  the 
moving 
stward  of 
,  and  the 
y  us  sink 

i  in   24^ 

dredge 

s  a  very 

11  carried 

irrent,  its 

growth, 

uch  cold 

[in  plain 
distant 
Is.  W.  of 
kr  at  the 
Lir  drift- 
Id  fully, 
to  the 
idvanc- 
ire  is  a 
It  looks 


now  as  if  we  were  in  a  fair  way  to  drift  down  between 
Ilcnild  Island  and  Kellett  Land.  In  this  case  we  may 
have  some  land  near  to  us  when  the  ice  closes  together 
and  becomes  immovable  to  a  certain  extent,  and  we 
may  yet  have  the  honor  of  being  the  first  to  land  on 
this  already  discovered  but  yet  unexplored  shore. 

At  three  p.  m.  we  were  startled  into  activity  by  the  re- 
port of  "  A  bear  on  the  ice  close  to  the  ship  !  "  Five  or  six 
of  us  immediately  went  in  pursuit,  spreading  out  to  in- 
close the  bear  should  he  allow  it.  He  had  a  long  start, 
however,  and  most  of  us  gave  up  the  chase  after  a  mile  or 
two.  Mr.  Newcomb,  Aneguin,  and  Alexey  kept  on,  and 
at  5.20  Aneguin  came  back  with  the  pleasant  news  that 
the  bear  had  been  overtaken  and  killed.  Melville  and 
I  took  a  couple  of  sleds  and  teams  and  some  men,  and 
brought  back  the  prize  —  a  female  bear,  weighing,  I 
should  judge,  about  500  pounds.  The  captors  had 
already  skinned  and  cut  up  the  carcass,  so  we  could  not 
weigh  it.  This  makes  a  valuable  addition  to  our  larder. 
The  skin  was  nicely  taken  off  with  the  head  attached, 
and  will  no  doubt  be  in  good  condition  to  be  mounted 
hereafter. 

October  6th,  Sunday. —  At  ten  a.  m.  read  the  Articles 
for  the  Government  of  the  Navy,  and  mustered  the  crew. 
Everybody  seemed  in  excellent  health  and  spirits,  and 
nothing  disheartened  by  our  being  thus  early  beset  and 
the  almost  absolute  certainty  of  our  wintering  in  the 
puck.  The  forecastle  was  dry,  warm,  and  couifortable. 
Not  a  sign  of  moisture  was  to  be  found,  except  a  trifle 
coming  from  the  rods  of  the  deadlights,  and  this  was 
received  and  retained  in  the  drip  pans  placed  under 
them.  The  cook-house  on  deck  was  neat  and  clean. 
All  the  internal  arrangements  of  lockers,  water  cans, 
and  boxes  being  complete,  the  galley  was  as  orderly  as 


150 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


a  private  kitchen.  The  two  berths  for  steward  and 
cook  were  neatly  curtained  off,  and  it  would  require  a 
critical  examination  to  reveal  the  fact  that  these  two 
men  slept  there.  The  engine-room  and  shaft  alley  were 
clean  and  dry.  The  starboard  boiler  has  been  finished 
with  its  overhauling,  and  both  boilers  are  now  thor- 
oughly scaled  and  ready  for  use.  Instead  of  taking 
the  engine  apart  for  laying  up,  it  has  been  kept  intact ; 
and  as  the  engine-shaft  can  be  disconnected  from  the 
screw-shaft,  the  engines  can  be  turned  over  every  day, 
moving  all  parts.  The  two  shafts  are  connected  by 
shoulders  and  four  bolts,  two  of  which  are  replaced  as 
soon  as  the  engine  is  turned  over,  and  the  other  two 
are  kept  ready  for  immediately  putting  back.  During 
the  coming  week  the  engine'^  will  be  painted.  The  ven- 
tilation of  the  ward-room  seems  improved  since  the 
boring  of  the  holes  through  into  the  cabin,  and  the 
keeping  of  a  lighted  lamp  in  the  ward-room  stove.  In 
the  cabin  the  air  is  good  enough,  except  at  night,  when 
the  wretched  Walton  lamp  smokes  so  as  to  fill  it. 
Melville  has  made  a  tin  pipe  four  inches  in  diameter,  per- 
•  forated  with  half-inch  holes,  and  fitted  it  into  the  sky- 
light cover,  and  this  works  well  without  depriving  us 
of  the  light.  The  frame  of  the  deck-house  is  all  up 
and  the  roof  on.  Nearly  all  the  siding  is  in  place,  and 
during  the  coming  week  the  ends  will  be  closed  in,  the 
inside  felted,  and  the  electric  engine  and  generator  put 
together  and  tried  with  walrus  blubber. 

After  inspection  held  divine  service. 

The  coal  account  is  satisfactory,  showing  even  greater 
economy  than  last  week,  the  fuel  burned  for  heating 
and  cooking  being  1,280  pounds  against  1,425  pounds 
consumed  last  week.  Aneguin  to-day  added  a  seal  to 
our  provisions. 


r 

o 


teward  and 
1  require  a 

these  two 

alley  were 
311  finished 
now   tlior- 

of   taking 
3pt  intact ; 

from  tile 
'very  day, 
lected  by 
^placed  as 
)ther  two 
Durino- 

Tiie  ven- 
iince   tlie 

and  the 
ove.     In 
ht,  wlien 
3   fill   it. 
'ter,  per- 
the  sky- 
iving  us 
5  all  np 
ice,  and 
I  in,  the 
itor  put 


greater 
lieatinir 
pounds 
seal  to 


FAST  IN  THE  ICE. 

October  Gih,  Mo7idmi       T». 

be  «un.„,ecl  „p'i„  ,  i^^J'"  ^^X""  "'  ""  '"^  -" 

'  -k.s  ,t„J    the   observaTo;  ;v„f  :;.:!:r"'''  "'-'  28 

.-.bout  100  yard,  from  the  .hin  "Lm        .  ?  ""-'   «•"-' 

"nchor.,.     The  work  of  tlie    h^' ,  '""'  '^''"»  ^  '»« 

great  ,loaI  of  land  was  in  nkin        ,  .    T''"«  "'«  ''»>"' 

»ent  bearings.  54"  Wf true       t;°''  "'"  ""'■^'  l'™""" 
of  I'igh  lands  .lopino.  ^^  ,  "  t  .  ^'  "??«••"«>  like  a  «erie.s 

At  interval,  it  lould     e  ^  ^u  ^^stt  f  d'T '' '^""'*- 
•inrl  again  it  would  stand     °^'™->',''"'""''erf   by  mirage, 

eo..l<l  be  seen  above  t  and  "  '■""'  P'"'"'  ^lo-ul 
Towards  snnset,  when  w^  JTr'f  f  "''^  ''""^  ''' 
ground,  these  lumps  of  hn'  /  T  ""'^  ''^•"''-  """el^- 
%-inst  the  sky,  Z  wl:  ;  ""'  °'"  ■^'""■P'^  defined 
«bl>-  by  those  o'n'  boards  .r^'rV:;'",,  ""™■^''"^- 
«elf,  who  were  three  n.iles  from  the  .'  ''""'  "'^■ 
™n  w,th  a  sledge  and  dog  t  "n      W     '''  °1  °'"  *"'^ 

«*'ed  to  his  eolleetion  a  "Ros^^^GuIl  ""'■""'''"  '"■^'"'•^) 
Pnze  and  rare  beyond  caleni!  '  t     "  ""'"■  ^»'""ble 

-  but  one  (at  themt^^tT"-  ■    l"  '•"'  ^"'"P'  "'-« 
-cord  of  one  in  the  C:,  State  '"^'  """  ''''''  '»  "" 

<  octor  more  time  to  devote  ,7  ""  *"  S'™  'be 
^le%e  journeys,  and  „„'„  '°.  P'^^P^'-'S  .nedicines  for 
'bought  he  had  'mo,e  T"  ."^  ™P'-e-nti„g  that  he 
logical  work,  and  tint  led- ,    '  ""■"  "^  *''«  '"eteoro. 


w 


;!!;'! 


152 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNEITE. 


to  Chief  Engineer  Melville,  keeping  the  last  hfilf  my- 
self. 

October  dth,  Thursday.  —  The  day  opened  with  the 
continuation   of    the  easterly  blow  of  yesterday,  and 


Rost's  Gull. 


gradually  tapered  off  to  a  light  air,  when  at  noon  a 
shift  to  W.  by  S.  (true)  occurred,  and  a  piping  up  of 
jinother  gale,  which  settled  finally  in  W.  S.  W.  Highest 
temperature  (with  easterly  wind)  31°,  lowest  tempera- 
ture (falling  with  westerly  wind)  6i°  at  midnight.  Here 
is  a  curious  fact :  The  weather  until  ten  p.  m.  was  snowy, 
and  at  that  hour  it  ceased  to  snow,  the  stars  came  out, 
and  at  midnight  both  moon  and  stars  were  visible. 
Sounded  at  noon  in  23^  fathoms  blue  mud,  and  the 
line  showed  we  were  drifting  rapidly  to  the  eastward 
before  the  westerly  gale. 

October  10th,  Friday.  —  The  curious  fact  of  tem- 
perature recorded  yesterday  is  repeated  to-day.  The 
temperature  falls  to  5^°  with  S.  W.  by  W.  wind,  and 
promptly  rises  to  30°  with  S.  E.  wind.  The  harder  the 
blow  the  higher  the  temperature. 

October  11th,  Saturday.  —  A  stormy  day  with  a 
southeasterly  gale.  At  midnight  light  airs  came  up 
from  the   northward,  and  a  faint  radial  display  of  the 


FAST    IN    rilK   I("K. 


153 


[igliest 
pera- 
Here 
mowy, 
le  out, 
visible, 
id  the 
stvvard 


nt\i   a 

^le  up 

)i  the 


aurora  in  the  N.  W.,  from  whicli  1  anticipate  an  incroaHC 
of  barometric  presHure,  and  a   fall  of  temperature  to- 
morrow.   During  the  day  and   until   the  wind  went  to 
the  northward,  snow  fell.     We  have   not  had  thus  far 
any  unusually  heavy  snow-storm,  ))ut  these  high  winds 
blow  the   snow  that  does  fall  up   into  drifts,  through 
which  we  unexpectedly  llounder  over  knee  deep.     We 
do  not  seem  to  be  affected,  as  far  as  the  ship  is  concerned, 
by  these  high  wind«;  she  heels  steadily  5^  to  starboard, 
and  occasionally  changes  her  head  a  point  either  way, 
but  that  is  of  course  due  to  a  motion  of  the  entire  iloe 
in  azimuth.     Beyond  an  occasional  trembling  as  a  sud- 
den gust  strikes  her,  the  ship  is  as  steady  as  if  she  were 
in  a  dry  dock,  shored  up ;  and  whatever  pressure  may 
be  exerted  on  the  edges  of  our  floe,  it  does  not  extend 
to  our  position  witliin  it.     What  were  leads  behind  and 
ahead  of  us  when  we  first  pushed  the  ship  in  here  have 
long  since  frozen  over  and  have  been  covered  with  snow, 
and  we  detect  them  in  high  temperatures,  say  30°,  by 
sinking  through  the  snow  to  the  sludgy  ice  beneath  and 
seeing  water  ooze  up  from  its  partially  thawing  surface. 
Our  floe  drifts  around  of  late  to  the  S.  W.,  and  I  very 
much  hope  that  when  tliese  blows  are  over  (for  when 
the  barometer  rises    first    from   its  present  low  point 
28.  77,  we  must  surely  look  for  high  winds),  and  the 
air  gets   clear  of  driving   snow,  we  shall   have  a  good 
view  of  this  land  to  the  southwest  of  us.     An  indicated 
drift  this  time  to  the  N.  W. 

Odoher  \ith,  Tuesday.  —  During  the  clearing  of  the 
atmosphere  at  noon  we  saw  land  very  distinctly  to  »S.  S. 
W.  (true).  As  we  have  had  no  observations  for  four 
days  I  cannot  speak  with  certainty  when  I  say  that  this 
land  is  not  Herald  Island  ;  l)ut  it  had  not  the  now  fa- 
miliar shape  of  Herald  Island,  and  extended  too  far  in 


154 


TIIK   VOYA(JK   OF    TIIK  .IKANNF/I'IK. 


S;l 


I 


Uh 


11 
W 

It  I 


!  I! 


nziirMitli  for  that  eolol)rate(l  wpot.  Tlic  air  is  yot  so 
rilk'«l  witli  Hiiow  crystals  that  judging  of  distance  is  out 
of  the  question  ;  and  our  view  not  histing  over  a  half 
hour,  with  intervals  of  eonceahnent,  vm  ])ut  olY  guessing 
to  a  more  propitious  moment.  Discontinued  the  daily 
hauling  of  the  dredge  on  account  of  the  snmll  amount 
of  the  proceeds  and  their  sameness.  Fired  up  again 
on  the  Baxter  engine,  but  Edison's  generator  failed  to 
make  a  light.  I  am  afraid  this  is  irretrievably  worth- 
less, and  our  electric  light  this  winter  has  remained, 
not  gone,  "  where  the  woodl)ine  twineth."  Collins, 
however,  hopes  to  make  it  work  yet. 

October  15///,  Wednesdai/.  —  Already  we  are  begin- 
ning to  experience  the  moisture  between  decks  connnon 
to  Arctic  ships.     Although  I  was  careful  to  have  the 
cabin    lined    in  England  with  felt,  and  the  poop  deck 
covered  at  Mare  Island  with  three  thicknesses  of  canvas, 
the  upper  thickness  painted,  my  room  shows  beads  of 
condensed  vapor  on  every  plank  of  the  ceiling,  and  I 
suppose  it  will  soon  show  in  other  places.     I  have  shut 
oft'  ^Jie  after  part  of  the  cabin,  and   thus  reduced  the 
space  to  be  heated.     This  after  part  is  so  cool  that  pass- 
ing into  it  from  the  cabin  is  like  stepping  into  a  cold 
bath,  but  yet  it  is  generally  dripping  with  moisture. 
The  temperature  at  which  the  cabin  and  berth  deck  are 
kept  is  50".     The  ward-room   is  as  yet  perfectly  dry, 
and  as  it  is  used  for  sleeping  only  I  have  not  considered 
it  necessary  to  light  a  fire  in  that  stove.     The  berth 
deck  remains  dry  and  comfortable.     Of  course  there  is 
difficult}'  about  proper  ventilation  and  keeping   down 
the  carbonic  acid  gas,  but  I  am  hopeful   of  being   able 
to  make  everything  as  satisfactory  as  possible.      When- 
ever 1  see  a  chance  to  improve  matters,  I  do  so.     The 
deck-house  is  finished  excepting  the  felt  lining. 


m- 


FAST    IN   TlIK    i(  K. 


155 


n<>,iiin 


)iuinon 

ve  tlio 

p  deck 

\'invas, 

ads  of 

and  I 

c  shut 

d  the 

',  pass- 

a  cold 

sture. 

k  are 

dry, 

dered 

berth 

ere  is 

down 

fible 

'hen- 

The 


I  have  grave  fears  about  beinj:;  able  to  use  the  deck- 
house as  a  hving  and  sleepin«r  place  for  the  crew  this 
winter.  I  am  afraid  it  will  be  too  damp,  and,  consider- 
int<-  tlie  amount  of  fuel  1  can  s[)are,  too  cold.  We  have 
stoves  enou«i,h,  of  course,  and  fuel  enough  to  keep  the 
ship  warm  all  winter,  but  my  great  object  is  to  save  fuel, 
HO  as  to  liave  some  to  steam  a  little  with  next  sununer, 
and  enough  to  keep  life  in  us  next  winter.  Accordingly, 
supjxjsiiig  that  the  elect»'ic  light  would  be  a  success 
(wbich  I  bave  no  hope  of  now),  1  arranged  for  burning 
seal  and  walrus  blubber  as  fuel  in  tbe  Baxter  engine, 
hoping  to  get  heat  from  the  boiler  thereof  to  warm  the 
deck-house  at  tbe  same  time  light  was  supplied.  As  Edi- 
son's generator  failed  to  give  electric  light,  so  did  the 
boiler  fail  to  give  heat,  to  any  extent.  Clothes  washed 
and  hung  up  in  the  deck-house  were  as  wet  as  ever,  de- 
spite the  sheet-iron  jacket  which  ought  to  have  radiated 
heat.  Tbe  deck-house  acted  as  a  capital  condenser  for 
escaping  steam.  Failing  the  electric  light,  1  must  give 
U})  beat  also  from  this  elaborate  machine,  put  up  two 
stoves  in  the  house,  and  fit  drip  pans  so  that  blubl)er  can 
be  burned  in  them.  We  of  the  human  race  eat  the  seal 
meat,  and  the  dogs  eat  the  walrus  meat,  and  the  blubber 
is  burned.     Consequently,  there  is  no  waste. 

To  insure  a  proper  changing  of  air  on  the  berth  deck 
I  issue  an  order  to-day  to  clear  it  daily  from  1.80  to 
4.30  p.  M.,  and  open  all  hatches  and  doors  leading  to  it. 
To  occupy  the  men  profitably  during  that  time,  the 
watch  below  is  armed  with  Snyder  rifles  and  turned  out 
to  hunt  for  seal  and  walrus. 

October  17th,  Friday.  —  Collins'  birthday.  Bear 
caught  in  trap,  but  escaped,  leaving  a  lock  of  his  hair 
as  a  souvenir.  Nindemann  got  a  seal,  and  Aneguin  .added 
another  to  our  larder.     We  have  now  seven  seals  ban";- 


I 


i 

i 

! 

r 
!, 

I 

i 


:'i! 


I  (  1 


15G 


THE   VOYAGE   f)F   THE   JEANNETTE. 


ing  in  the  rigging,  which  will  in  turn  serve  for  as  niany 
dinners,  while  thoir  own  blubber  may  serve  to  cook 
them. 

Octoher  IHfh,  Saturday.  —  To  our  surprise,  the  cook. 
All  Sam,  came  to-clay  and  asked  for  a  gun  to  "  go  shoot 
a  seal."  He  was  furnished  with  a  Snvder  rifle  and 
annnunition,  and  he  started  oft"  quite  gayly.  In  about 
an  hour  he  returned,  the  most  astonished  and  startled 
Chinaman  out  of  China.  At  his  (irst  shot  the  gun  had 
burst,  tearing  up  the  barrel,  fortunately  near  the  muz- 
zle, so  that  he  received  no  harm  ;  but  his  mental  de- 
moralization was  complete.  The  probability  is  he  let 
the  muzzle  slip  in  the  snow  at  some  time,  and  the  end 
of  the  bore  got  choked ;   hence  the  bursting. 

October  20/A.  Monday.  —  Highest  temperature,  16° : 
lowest,  3i°, —  the  lowest  recorded  thus  far. 

October  21.s/,  7.\(e.'<day.  —  The  thermometer  com- 
menced at  4i°,  and  at  noon  had  fallen  to  zero  for  the 
first  time  this  cruise.  It  continued  to  drop,  however, 
at  eight  r.  M.  standing  at  minus  10^°  (hght  W.  wind), 
Avheiice  it  counnenced  to  rise,  ending  the  day  at  minus 
4^.  For  the  first  time  since  the  10th,  we  have  clear  and 
pleasant  weather  with  bright  sunshine.  Our  days  have 
become  paint'ully  shorter,  the  sun  setting  to-day  at  3.45 
p.  M.  Our  views  of  him  have  been  so  rare  that  vve 
missed  him  greatly,  and  even  when  he  does  come  now 
his  stay  is  short.  Between  noon  and  three  p.  m.  we  had  a 
pleasant  treat,  thanks  to  the  clear  atmosphei'e  and  the 
sun's  low  altitude.  We  distinctly  saw  land  again,  and 
unlike  any  we  had  seen  before.  From  the  deck  it  ap- 
pear(Ml  like  three  islands,  but  on  going  aloft  we  were 
al)le  to  discover  conneciing  land.  The  whole  mav  be 
one  large  island  with  three  peaks.  The  highest  and 
clearest  defined  peak  bore   S.  28"  W.  (true),  anl  may 


FAST    IN   THE   ICE. 


lot 


r    coin- 

for  the 

wever, 

wind), 

minus 

IV  and 

have 

t  3.45 

lilt  we 

t'  now 

had  a 

d  the 

1,  and 

it  ap- 

were 

IV  be 

and 

may 


be  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  miles  distant.  B)-  4.30 
the  atmospheric  refraction  was  very  considerable,  and 
it  lifted  into  view  a  high  mountain,  saddle  peaked,  and 
bearing  S.  24°  W.  (true).  Along  the  horizon  was  a 
layer  of  clouds  1"  in  elevation,  above  which  the  .sad- 
dle peaks  showed  clearly. 

At  seven  p.  m.,  with  the  thermometer  at  eleven  de- 
grees below,  oui'  liquid  steering  coripasses  froze,  and 
we  removed  them  to  the  cabin,  placing  a  boat  compass 
in  the  deck  house  to  keep  a  record  by.  The  eifect  of 
this  cold  snap  is  to  close  up  w^ater  spaces  like  magic. 
While  out  with  the  dogs  this  afternoon  where  had 
been  open  water,  I  could  almost  see  it  freeze  harder 
and  harder.     Temperature,  minus  8". 

October  22d,  Wednesday.  —  Chipp  and  m^-self  are 
beginning  to  experience  the  eifect  of  cold  mi  our  rooms, 
everything  kept  hanging  against  the  ship's  side  and 
forward  bulkhead  freezing  fast  to  them. 

Odoher  2dd,  Thursdm/.  — From  8.30  to  0.30  r.  m. 
had  our  lirst  experience  of  paraselene,  —  three  nu)ck 
moons  at  right  angles  to  the  real  moon  (owing  to  the 
moon's  low  altitude  the  fourth  or  lower  mock  could 
not  be  seen).  Around  the  real  moon  was  also  a,  hazy 
arch. 

Octoher  24th,  Friday.  —  To  save  the  men's  hands 
while  hauling  in  the  lead-line,  we  rigged  to-day  two 
standards  alongside  the  fire-hole  to  sup])ort  a  reel,  and 
fitted  the  reel  with  two  wooden  handles. 

Octoher  2o/A,  Saturdat/.  —  To-day  served  out  fur 
clothing  to  the  crew,  and  got  on  deck  two  stoves  ready 
for  putting  in  deck  house.  OiU'  steward,  Charles  Tong 
Sing,  is  sick  since  Inst  evening  with  nausea.  I  hope  and 
think  it  is  a  slight  indisposition  merely.  He  is  invalua- 
ble, and   does  more  work   than  would   tire  two   mei.. 


158 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANXETTE. 


While  he  is  sick  his  work  is  assumed  checrfally  by  Ah 
Sam,  the  cook,  another  invaluable  man,  and  he  per- 
forms the  duties  ol"  both  officers'  steward  and  ship's 
cook  with  the  same  benign  smile  that  used  to  rest  on 
the  countenance  of  our  discharged  friend  Ah  See,  who 
described  his  next  of  kin  as  Ah  M<>   Canton,  China. 

October  2(jih,  Sunday.  —  At  ten  a.  m.  held  the  usual 
Sunday  inspection.  1  was  pleased  to  find  the  berth 
deck  perfectly  dry  and  warm.  The  condensation  which 
formed  on  the  after  berths  amidships,  and  in  the  two 
rooms  opening  oif  the  berth  deck,  has  been  checked  by 
felting,  and  I  sincerely  iiope  that  we  shall  be  able  to  keep 
the  deck  dry  and  habitable  all  winter.  The  forehatch 
opening  into  the  deck-house  has  bc^n  entirely  uncov- 
ered, and  as  a  consequence  all  air  entering  the  berth 
deck  \>,  w.'irmed  to  some  extent  before  reaching  its  des- 
tinatian.  By  mv  own  o))servation  and  test  there  was 
last  night  a  difference  of  20'  in  the  air  outside  and  in- 
side the  deck-house  ( ?ninus  10°,  and  plus  10"),  and  this 
without  any  fire  there.  All  the  air  that  ventilates  the 
berth  deck  passes  through  the  deck-house,  down  the 
foreiiatch.  and  through  the  sixteen  one  inch  and  a  niar- 
ter  lioles  in  each  door.  Tliis  air  Is  again  heated  \jy  the 
stove  until  it  reaches  50°,  and  it  then  passes  off  through 
the  skylight.  whi<'li  is  kcp'.  open,  anil  so  far  acts  as  a 
perfect  uptake.  The  cabiii  1-  generally  kept  at  50°,  and 
the  ward-room  keeps  without  fire  lu  the  neighborhood 
of  32°.  The  temperature  of  the  engine-room  i^  14",  and 
thei'e  is  a  small  amount  of  frost  on  the  iron.  IJut  as 
all  our  boiler  pipes  and  tidjes  are  dried  out  and  the  en- 
gines painted,  no  deterioration  can  occur.  Highest  tem- 
perature, minus  10° ;  lowest,  minus  17°.  Weather  el»  ,tr 
and  pleasant,  and  the  low  temperature  is  not  cared  for 
in  contemplating  a  bright  day.    A  movement  has,  how- 


FAST   IN   THE    ICE. 


159 


r  by  Ah 
ho  per- 
1  ship's 
rest  on 
ee,  who 
inji. 

le  usual 

e   berth 

u  which 

the  two 

ckod  by 

to  keep 

trehatch 

'•  uucov- 

e  berth 

its  des- 

ere  was 

and  in- 

and  this 

ites  the 

wn  the 

a  nuar- 

\iy  the 

h  rough 

;ts  as  a 

0°,  nnd 

lorhood 

U  ,  and 

liJut  as 

|llr  'Ml- 

|i  •'!«  ai* 
led  for 
L  how- 


ever, taken  phice  in  the  ice,  but  whether  it  is  owing  to 
a  reduction  of  temperature  or  a  reduction  of  pressure  I 
cannot  say.  About  five  hundred  yards  aliead  of  the 
ship  is  a  crack  in  the  fiekl  a  foot  wide,  and  extending 
in  a  circular  direction  for  half  a  mile,  and  five  hundred 
yards  ahead  of  that  a  crack  six  feet  wide,  and  extend- 
ing: the  same  distance  or  more.  In  both  cases  the  rent 
is  a  neat  one;  the  water  coming  up  within  a  foot  and 
a  hah'  of  the  surface,  but  rapidly  freezing  in  this  tem- 
perature. Our  hunters  were  out  immediately  in  quest 
of  walrus  and  seal,  but  beyond  seeing,  as  they  say,  one 
walrus  and  a  bear,  accomplished  nothing. 

Held  divine  service  at  10. oO  A.  m.  I  am  glad  to  say 
tliKt  the  steward's  illness  has  proved  nothing  but  a  mild 
attack  of  nausea,  and  has  yielded  so  readily  to  treat- 
.iient  that  he  is  now  around  all  riiyht  atjrain. 

Octoher  21th,  jlfotuhn/.  —  Added  two  seals  to  our  lar- 
der. In  order  to  have  sleds  iind  provisions  ready  for 
an  emergency  calling  for  a  hasty  abandonment  of  the 
shi[),  I  issued  an  order  to-day  to  put  five  sleds  in  per- 
fect traveling  order ;  also  an  order  in  relation  to  winter 
routine,  and  but  t\yo  cooked  meals  each  day.  The 
amount  '*i  con]  consumed  in  the  galley  is  too  great  to 
be  kept  up,  when  we  consider  the  additional  expendi- 
ture required  in  the  deck-house,  observatory,  and  per- 
ha[)s  Avird-room,  and  the  necessity  for  our  steaming  at 
least  a  little  during  next  spring  and  sunnricr.  To  ob- 
serve carefully  the  effect  of  the  winter  on  us,  I  also 
issued  iui  order  to  the  surgeon  in  reference  to  monthly 
examinations  of  olhcers  and  men.  Discontinue  after 
this  date  the  taking  of  sea  temperatures  and  water 
densities. 

October  28//<,  Tuesdm/.  —  Thanks  to  a  clear  sky,  this 
moining  at  four  o'clock  xMr.  Danenhower  got  excellent 


I 


160 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


Hill 


V)  •  ! 


li: 

!.f.i  l 


ifi 


sights  for  our  position,  which  he  determines  to  be  lati- 
tude 71°  57'  N.,  longitude  177°  51'  W.,  showing  a  gen- 
eral drift  of  twenty  miles  N.  E.  (true)  from  our  position 
of  the  21st.  At  the  same  time  the  magnetic  variation 
was  determined  23°  E.  The  sun  rose  at  nine,  and  im- 
mediately thereafter  high  land  was  sighted  to  the  S. 
S.  W.  (true),  the  extremes  bearing  respectively  S.  16° 
30'  W.,  and  S.  36°  W.,  — the  highest  peak  bearing  S. 
32°  W.  The  whole  land  seems  to  be  about  fifty  miles 
distant.  I  believe  this  to  be  the  north  side  of  the  land 
seen  by  Captain  Long  in  1867  (Wrangel  Land),  but  I 
no  longer  believe  it  to  be  a  continent.  It  is  either 
one  large  island  or  an  archipelago. 

At  four  p.  M.  Mr.  Dunbar,  who  had  been  away  with 
Alexey,  came  back  with  the  pleasing  information  that 
they  had  shot  three  walruses.  Anxious  to  get  this  im- 
portant addition  to  our  dog  food,  Melville,  the  doctor, 
and  myself  started  off  with  Sharvell  and  a  dingy  on  a 
sled  drawn  by  a  heavy  team  of  dogs  to  secure  it.  After 
a  heavy  drag  over  what  Dunbar  was  pleased  to  call  a 
mile  (but  which  I  think  was  nearer  three)  we  reached 
the  water,  only  to  find  that  our  three  walruses  liad  got 
lost  among  the  young  ice. 

In  accordance  witli  the  various  orders  issued  yester- 
day, the  winter  routine,  beginning  on  November  1st, 
will  be  as  follows  :  — 

6  A.  M.  Call  executive  officer. 

Call  ship's  cook. 

Call  all  hands. 

Breakfast  by  watches. 

Turn  to,   clear    fire-hole  of  ice,  fill  barrels 
with  snow,  clean  up  decks. 

Clear  forecastle.      All  hands  take  exercise 
on  the  ice. 


8.30 
9 


10 
11 


s  to  be  lati- 
ving  a  gen- 
)ur  position 
ic  variation 
le,  and  im- 
.  to  the  S. 
ve]y  S.  W 

bearing  S. 

fifty  miles 
)f  the  land 
find),  but  I 
t  is  either 

away  with 
lation  that 
et  this  im- 
he  doctor, 
iingy  on  a 
it.  After 
1  to  call  a 
e  reached 
3s  had  got 

ed  yester- 
mber  Ist, 


ill  barrels 


!  exercise 


f.'.t 


mi 


',•.  I 


Ml'  i 

i 


FAST    IN    11  IE    K'K. 


161 


11.30       Inspection  by  executive  officer. 
12  M.       Tret  soundings. 
1  V.  M.  One  Wiitcli  may  go  below. 


Fill  barrels  with  snow.     Clear  lire-hole  of 


ice. 


3 
4 


7.30 
10 


Dinner  by  watches. 

Galley  fires  out.     Carpenter  ami  boatswain 
report  clei)artinents  to  executive  officer. 
Supper  by  watches. 

Pipe  down.     Noise  and  smoking  to  cease  in 

forecastle,  and  all  lights  to  be  put  out, 

except  one  burner  of  bulkhead  lantern. 

Man  on  watch  report  to  the  executive. 

During  the  night  the  anchor  watch  will  examine  the 

fires  and  lights  every  h{df  hour,  and  see  that  there  is 

no  danger  from  lire.     All  buckets  will  be  kept  on  the 

.starboard  side  ol"   the  quarter  deck,  ready  for  use   in 

case  of  lire. 

I  think  the  night  one  of  the  most  beautiful  I  have 
ever  seen.  The  heavens  were  cloudless,  the  moon  very 
nearly  full  and  shining  brightly,  and  every  star  twink- 
ling ;  the  air  perfectly  calm,  and  not  a  sound  to  break 
the  spell.  The  ship  and  her  surroundings  made  a  per- 
fect picture.  Standing  out  in  bold  relief  against  the  blue 
sky,  every  rope  and  spar  with  a  thick  coat  of  snow  and 
frost ;  she  was  simply  a  beautiful  spectacle.  The  long 
lines  of  wire  reaching  to  the  tri])od  and  observatory, 
round  frosted  lmni)s  here  and  there  where  a  doir  lav 
asleep,  sleds  standing  on  end  against  the  steam-cutter 
to  make  a  foreground  for  the  ship,  surrounded  with  a 
bank  (rail  high)  of  snow  and  ice,  and  in  every  direotion 
as  far  as  eye  could  reach  a  confusetl,  irretnilar  i«Hi.|inld, 
would  have  made  a  picture  seldom  seen. 


■t|,yELiii!i 


1'  ■ 


i:"> 


162 


THE    VOYACilC    OK    rilK  .IKAXXETTi:. 


Ocioher  29///.  Wechiesdai/.  —  Wcutlior  clour  and  plojis- 
ant,  and  a  purl'cctly  splendid  evening.  Full  moon,  bright 
starlight,  and,  as  the  day  ended,  not  a,  cloud.  Land  .seen 
to-day  in  greater  extent  than  yesterday,  and  beyond 
the  then  bearings.  Mr.  Dunbar  and  Alcxey  started  out 
early  this  morning  to  endeavor  to  find  the  missing  wal- 
ruses of  yesterday.  They  took  with  them  a  team  of 
dogs.  On  the  way  one  of  tlie  dogs  (Dandy,  or  Bingo) 
got  out  of  his  harness  and  escaped,  much  to  the  di.sgust 
of  the  other  dogs,  who  attempted  to  chase  him.  Alexey 
in  his  pecuUar  language  remarked,  "•  Bom  bye,  other 
dogs  him  plenty  whip  "  (for  his  desertion).  After  hav- 
hig  failed  to  secure  the  walruses,  the  party  returned  to 
the  ship.  Abont  a  half  hour  after  the  return,  the 
quartermaster  came  to  me  and  reported  that  Bingo 
had  been  killed  in  a  fight.  Alexey's  prediction  came 
true.  Though  three  or  four  hours  had  eliipsed,  tlu; 
dogs  remembered  the  circumsliiiice  of  the  desertion, 
and  iinding  Bingo  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  ship 
liad  pitched  into  hiiu  and  chewed  him  so  badly  before 
Erickson  could  reach  them  that  he  died  within  ten  min- 
utes of  being  carried  on  board  ship,  —  the  first  death  in 
our  brute  associates.  We  skinned  him  to  have  his  coat 
for  future  wearing  apparel,  and  his  carcass  lies  frozen 
on  the  deck-house  roof  for  possible  food  for  his  mur- 
derers. 

October  30/A,  Thursdaij.  —  The  doctor  relates  a  curi- 
ous dream  he  had  last  night.  He  seemed  to  be  accom- 
panying the  survivors  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  last  expe- 
dition on  their  journey  to  the  Great  Fish  River,  when 
suddenly  he  changed  his  base  to  this  ship's  cabin,  and 
began  explaining  to  Sir  John  Franklin  there  present 
some  of  our  articles  of  outfit,  such  as  Edison's  electric 
machine,  the  anemometer,  and  the  telephone.     Frauk- 


•^•" 


IK. 


FAST   IN   THE    WE. 


103 


car  aiul  ploas- 
[  moon,  bright 
1.    Land  aevn 
,  and  beyond 
ay  started  out 
)  missing  wal- 
;m  a  team  of 
dy,  or  Bingo) 
to  the  disgust 
him.    Alexey 
►m  bye,  other 
).     After  hav- 
[iy  returned  to 
e  return,   the 
d  that  Bingo 
I'ediction  canu- 
I    elapsed,    the 
Ithe   desertion, 
om  the  ship 
)  badly  before 
liin  ten  min- 
irst  death  in 
lave  his  coat 
Uss  hes  frozen 
for  his  mur- 

•ekites  a  curi- 
to  be  accom- 
I's  last  expe- 
River,  when 
's  cabin,  and 
ii(>re  present 
sou's  electric 
nie.     Frank- 


lin, after  listening  to  the  explanations  and  viewing  the 
articles,  tersely  remarked,  '"  Your  electric  machine  is 
not  worth  a  damn,  and  your  anemometer  is  just  the 
same."  The  telephone  he  seemed  to  consider  a  good 
thing. 

The  electric  machine,  after  having  received  Mel- 
ville's attention,  had  been  in  hand  for  some  days  un- 
reeling and  reinsulating.  and  reeling  ngain  the  wires, 
and  was  now  ready  for  another  trial.  Steam  was  ac- 
cordingly raised  in  the  Baxter  boiler,  and  the  genera- 
tor connected  ;  but  though  seventy  pounds  steam  was 
applied,  not  a  spark  even  could  be  obtained,  nor  a  de- 
flection in  the  gMlvanometer  needle.  The  only  effect 
was  to  fill  the  deck-house  with  the  fearful  smoke  of 
burning  bUiljber,  and  to  make  it  dripping  wet  from 
condensing  steam  and  the  shower  of  rain  lalling  from 
the  roof.  I  concluded  that  time  enough  had  been  lost 
in  trvinuf  to  make  this  machine  ol'  use,  and  I  would  no 
longer  keep  the  finishing  ol'  the  deck-house  in  abey- 
ance, and  hence  I  ordered  the  engine  struck  below  into 
the  old  galley-room,  and  cleaned  and  [)ainted  for  laying 
by.  Our  telegraph  wires  are  broken  in  several  places 
this  morning  from  their  own  weight,  increased  by  a 
slight  amount  of  frost.  We  have  tried  laying  them  in 
the  snow,  but  it  has  rotted  them  through  and  through. 
Bare  copper  Avire  No.  24  is  evidentl}^  not  the  thing. 
y  When  we  get  our  first  heavy  fall  of  snow  I  shall  try 
running  them  again,  but  I  l)egin  to  fear  that  Franklin 
is  right  in  both  his  statements.  The  lumters  brought 
in  three  seals  to-day  as  a  pleasant  thing  to  contemplate 
after  being  disgusted  with  electric  experiments,  and  at 
supper  to-night  we  had  a  new  dish  offered  us,  —  walrus 
sausage,  —  and  a  rare  good  thing  it  is.  Bear,  seal,  and 
walrus  are  not  to  be  despised,  and  I  agree  with  Chipp, 


'If 


164 


TIIK    VOVAfiK   OK    illK  JEAXNICTTK. 


who  says  thiit  liorotoforc,  wlit'U  lie  rojid  that  men  wc.  o 
subsistin«^-  on  hour  und  seal,  he  bcHoverl  they  were  liav- 
ing  ii  Imi'd  time,  but  ho  will  know  better  in  tlie  liiture. 

October  oLs^,  Fruldji.  —  The  open  water  streaks  are 
again  eh)sing  up,  the  iee  piling  up  to  Ji  height  ol"  some 
ten  i'eet  us  the  Hoes  come  together.  Chijjp  has  observed 
tliat  these  openings  occur  at  lull  and  change  of  the 
moon,  and  disappear  at  the  time  ol"  neap  tides.  There 
may  be  a  tidal  action  here,  but  as  we  are  drift ing 
around  with  the  Hoe  there  is  no  chance  for  tidal  obser- 
vations. The  weather  has  been  so  thick  the  last  two 
days  that  we  have  seen  nothing  of  the  land.  If  we 
could  only  drift  in  near  enough  to  it  to  land  on  it  and 
ex))lore  it  1  should  feel  that  we  had  accomplished  some- 
thing to  keep  us  in  countenance.  It  is  hard  that  our 
first  season  should  thus  be  passed  in  idleness. 

JVoveniher  1st,  Saturdaij.  —  Began  to-day  the  winter 
routine. 

jYocembcr  2d,  Snnddij.  —  Inspected  the  ship  at  eleven 
A.  M.  while  all  hands  were  on  the  ice  for  exercise.  Hav- 
ing kept  up  roaring  fires  of  blubber  in  the  two  stoves  in 
the  deck-house  since  yesterday  morning,  I  was  pleased 
to  find  that  all  the  wet  clothing  had  thoroughly  dried, 
and  that  the  deck-house  was  dry  and  comfortable ;  in 
fact,  the  temperature  ranged  between  GO'  and  70^  at 
the  forward  end,  the  stoves  being  in  the  middle.  At 
one  P.  M.  mustered  the  crew  and  read  the  Articles  of 
War.  At  the  conclusion  of  this  ceremony  held  divine 
service. 

A^oi'euibcr  3d,  JMondaij.  —  Discovered  this  morning  a 
crack  in  the  ice  two  hundred  yards  N.  W.  of  the  shij). 
It  ran  in  an  irregular  direction  fur  about  one  quarter  of 
a  mile,  and  was  in  places  nearly  twenty  feet  in  width. 
The  surface  of  the  sides  of  the  opening  was  but  two 


rri'E. 

that  men  wo'.o 
they  were  liav- 
iii  the  i'litiiiv. 
ter  streaks  are 
lieiu;ht  ol"  soiiu! 
p  has  observed 
change  ol"  the 
I  tides.  There 
e  are  drift  iiii;; 
or  tidal  obser- 
c  the  hist  two 
!  land.  If  we 
land  on  it  and 
iiplisluMl  some- 
hard  that  our 
ess. 
lay  the  winter 

ship  at  eleven 

ercise.    llav- 

two  stoves  in 

I  was  pleased 

pughly  dried, 

nfortable;  in 

'  and  70'  at 

middle.     At 

.^  Articles  ol' 

held  divine 

IS  morning  a 

of  the  ship. 

le  qnarter  of 

let  in  width. 

'as  but  two 


FAST    IN   THE    K'K. 


105 


feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  which  had  of  course 
become  ice.  This  is  bringing  these  cracks  too  near 
home  to  be  j)leasant,  and  1  sincerely  hope  no  nearer 
openings  will  cause  us  to  be  uneasy  in  our  now  comfor- 
table berth,  where  we  seem  as  steady  as  in  a  dry-dock. 
A  faint  trembling  of  the  shi})  in  high  wind,  such  as  is 
now  blowing  (at  midnight),  is  the  only  unsteadiness 
which  wc  have.  The  doctor,  in  obedience  to  my  order, 
connnenced  to-day  the  (to  be)  monthly  examinations  of 
ofhccrs  and  men,  beginning  with  myself. 

JVoceuihir  \t}i,  7\(e.s((aij.  —  Carbonic  acid  test,  taken 
at  eleven  last  night  on  the  berth  deck,  gave  2.3-130  vol- 
umes per  thousand,  or  0.23430  per  cent.  This  is  the 
worst  we  have  yet  obtained.  Medical  examination  con- 
tinued and  concluded.  Until  I  get  the  surgeon's  de- 
tailed report  1  cannot  record  results.  In  my  own  case, 
the  only  change  I  renuirk  is  a  falling  oft'  in  weight.  My 
weiidit  on  sailinu'  from  San  Francisco  was  one  hundred 
and  ninety- live  pounds,  now  it  is  but  one  hundred  and 
eighty  pounds. 

jVoL'cDihcr  (jth,  Thursday.  —  A  day  of  extraordinary 
interest  and  some  iinxiety.  At  nine  A.  M.  wc  were  dis- 
agreeably surprised  at  linding  a  large  crack  in  the  ice 
on  the  starboard  ([uarter  about  two  hinidred  yards  dis- 
tant, a  small  crack  mider  and  right  across  the  stern,  and 
a  small  crack  leading  from  the  stern  for  a  hundred  yards 
ahead.  Although  I  could  not  account  for  them,  I  saw 
no  reason  to  be  uneasy,  for  we  have  had  no  high  winds 
this  month,  and  no  pressure  had  occurred  in  our  vicin- 
ity. At  four  p.  M.,  however,  Collins,  who  had  gone  on 
the  usual  hoiu'ly  visit  to  the  observatory  and  anemome- 
ter, came  running  back  announcing  that  an  opening 
had  occurred  in  the  ice  between  the  observatory  and 
tripod.     We  all  hurried  out  and  found  a  large  rent,  al- 


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166 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


ready  four  feet  wide  and  widening,  extending  parallel 
with  the  ship's  length  to  her  starboard  quarter,  and 
thence  across  her  stern,  averaging  one  hundred  yards 
in  distance.  We  promptly  removed  the  instruments 
(anemometer,  thermometers,  rain-gauge,  barometer,  and 
dip-circle,  etc.)  to  the  ship,  setting  them  up  there.  The 
opening  kept  on  widening,  new  ice  forming  immediately 
on  the  surface,  and  by  midnight  it  was  some  twenty  yards 
in  width.  Some  premonitory  crashes  and  groans  of  the 
ice  added  to  my  anxiety  lest  souie  fissures  should  occur 
in  our  floe  and  make  our  position  serious.  But  we  did 
not  move  an  inch,  either  in  our  angle  of  heel  (4°)  or  in 
azimuth,  and  at  midnight  we  have  nothing  worse  to  con- 
template than  an  oponiug  one  hundred  yards  oif. 

Dr.  Ambler  handed  me  to  -  day  his  report  of  the 
medical  examination.  He  considers  the  examii?  ition  as 
very  satisfactory.  Of  the  thirty-three  persons  on  board, 
the  general  conditio?!  of  twenty-three  is  pronounced 
"  excellent,"  of  eiglit  '•  good  "  (1  am  among  this  party). 
To  my  surprise,  however,  seven  say  they  do  not  get 
enough  to  en' ,  or  sometiiues  do  not  get  enough  ;  of 
these  seven,  four  are  in  the  cabin  mess.  Of  these  four, 
two  have  enough  in  quantity,  but  as  some  things  are 
not  cooked  in  a  shape  to  their  liking  they  do  not  eat 
the  full  ration.  The  remaining  two  have  neither  sulH- 
cient  in  quantity,  nor  liking  for  some  articles  served. 

I  give  the  bills  of  fare  and  weights  of  articles  of 
food  (see  Appendix  D),  and  I  believe  that  both  in 
quantity  and  variety  it  is  superior  to  any  previous 
Arctic  experience.  The  surgeon  expresses  his  opinion 
that  it  is  all  that  is  necessary  in  both  respects.  How- 
ever, rather  than  any  one  sliould  consider  himself  as 
underfed  I  shall  probably  increase  the  rations.  If  we 
could  only  get  a  clear  day  we  should  probably  (ind  our- 


FAST    IN   THE   ICE. 


167 


h  ;   of 

four, 

ITS  are 

ot  eat 

sulh- 

ed. 

les  of 
ith  in 
3viou.s 
linion 
IIov- 
elf  as 
If  we 
il  our- 


selves mucli  nearer  to  land  than  we  have  been  here- 
tofore. 

November  1th,  Fridmj.  —  During  the  night  the  open- 
inf  clo(<ed  under  seeming  great  pressure,  for  at  day- 
l)reak,  say  eight  A.  m.,  the  ice  was  piled  up  in  great 
heaps  on  the  edge  of  our  lloe,  which  was  of  sufficient 
strength  evidently  to  bear  the  brunt.  The  pressure 
cnnie  from  S.  S.  E.,  the  line  of  the  crack  being  N.  N.  E. 
and  S.  8.  W.  true,  and  since  our  lloe  was  the  stronger, 
the  pressing  Hoc  rode  up  on  top  of  it,  breaking  off,  and 
leaving  its  own  edges  in  a  muddled  pile.  The  thick- 
ness of  these  edges  was  by  actual  measurement  7  feet 
1(1  inches,  6  inches  being  snow  on  the  surface.  Some 
of  the  pieces  were  pea  green,  or  sea  green  rather,  and 
some  ligiit  bUie,  and  in  several  places  showed  a  muddy 
and  dirty  side  as  if  they  had  been  in  the  mud  or  had 
striuidod  on  a  beach. 

Not  knowing  very  well  what  was  going  to  happen,  I 
watched  this  ridge  with  considerable  interest.  We  had 
iiad  since  midnight  a  decreasing  S.  W.  wind,  but  at  ten 
A.  M.  it  became  perfectly  calm.  About  eleven  A.  m.,  to 
our  surprise,  the  pressing  iioe  receded,  leaving  a  space 
about  ten  yards  in  width  from  floe  to  lloe,  and  through 
this  the  ioe  be<i;au  to  set  to  W,  and  N.  as  tlirou<i;h  a 
goi'ge.  with  a  velocity  of  about  half  a  mile  an  hour.  The 
|)ressure  became  very  great.  The  smaller  piec(!s  passed 
oil  readily  enough,  but  the  large  lunninocks  or  broken 
lloe  pieces  would  occasionally  jam  against  our  floe,  and 
boing  pressed  from  behind  by  the  confused  mass  would 
exert  an  influence  on  our  floe  that  made  it  groan  and 
crack  and  move  under  our  feet.  This  mass  was  flowing 
not  over  fifty  yards  from  the  ship,  then  heading  east 
northeast,  and  as  it  crushed  and  groaned  along,  and  our 
tloe  throbbed  and  shook  with  the  strain  brought  upon 


A 


U 


i; 
I 


rmmm 


168 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNKITK. 


I  Int 


it,  I  almost  momentarily  expected  to  see  the  ice  split  in 
all  directions  around  the  ship,  and  the  ship  herself  be 
carried  along  with  the  tumbling  heap.  Nothing  of  the 
kind  happened,  however,  thank  God,  and  about  four  p.  m. 
the  motion  ceased.  The  ship  had  not  moved  an  inch. 
Five  sledges  stood  packed  on  the  poop,  with  forty  day.s' 
provisions  for  men  and  dogs,  but  these  might  have 
availed  but  little.  In  fact,  1  doubt  if  they  would  have 
stood  the  racket  of  being  dragged  over  rough  ice  with 
their  weights.  Suspending,  therefore,  other  work,  we 
commenced  the  construction  of  two  strong  sleds  to 
carry  our  dingys. 

Our  tloe  must  have  moved  ;  for  to-day  we  are  in 
twenty-three  fathoms.  The  openings  in  the  ice  ex- 
posed so  much  water  to  the  action  of  the  cold  air  that 
we  have  had  all  day  a  thick  fog,  highest  temperature 
plus  3",  lowest  minus  10°. 

November  Sth.  Saturday.  —  A  quiet  day  and  a  relief 
to  the  anxiety  of  yesterday.  Still  1  cannot  help  feel- 
ing more  or  less  luieasy.  Tht  line  of  broken  ice  is  so 
near  us  that  I  fear  we  may  have  some  trouble  at  the 
next  gale  of  wind.  All  the  commotion  of  yesterday 
occurred  with  calms  or  light  airs.  Had  it  been  at  roy-u- 
lar  periods,  it  might  have  been  considered  due  to  tidal 
action  ;  but  as  it  occurred  only  once  in  the  twenty-four 
hours  that  idea  must  be  abandoned.  Some  resisting 
field  of  ice  has  given  way,  and  the  rush  was  the  result. 
If  we  consider  tliat  rush  accelerated  by  a" gale  of  wind, 
it  is  not  difficult  to  realize  the  peril  of  a  ship  carried 
along  by  it.  Drifting  with  it  might  not  be  so  bad,  but 
the  hanging  of  the  ship  on  an  impediment  while  this 
surging  and  grinding  mass  was  pushing  against  and  per- 
haps over  her  would  at  least  not  improve  the  situation. 
My  fear  is,  therefore,  that  if  we  have  a  gale  of  wind  be- 


ll^ 


FAST    IN  THE   K.E. 


169 


fore  all  these  broken  floes  can  become  cemented  tofrether, 
the  whole  mass  will  get  in  motion  again  and  our  floe 
may  split  up,  set  us  adrift,  and  plenty  of  trouble  be 
ahead  of  us.  However,  we  must  wait  and  see.  Human 
foresight  is  of  but  little  avail.  Aid  from  above  is  all 
that  can  prevail,  when  a  ship  is  drifting  in  an  ice-floe. 

iSighted  high  land  between  S.  and  8.  S.  W.  for  a  few 
moments  about  eleven  A.  m.,  but  too  indistinctly  to  rec- 
ognize it  as  anything  we  have  seen  before. 

Nocemh,er  10/A,  Monday.  —  A  large  water  hole  to 
the  E.  S.  E.  giving  oft"  vapor  upon  coming  in  contact 
with  colder  air.  Sounded  at  noon  in  17  1-2  fathoms. 
At  noon  sighted  again  the  land  seen  on  October  21)th 
and  on  the  same  bearing.  At  three  r.  M.  grinding  and 
pressure  began  again,  our  floe  this  time  cracking  and 
breaking  up  to  within  one  hundred  feet  of  our  star- 
board beam  and  cpiarter.  From  eight  P.  M.  to  midnight 
a  line  iiuroral  display,  beginning  with  swirling  tails 
from  N.  to  E.,  and  ending  with  radiating  bands  extend- 
ing from  a  centr.al  point  at  N.  to  N.  E.  and  N.  W. 

November  Wih,  Tuesday.  —  A  diiv  of  o-reat  anxietv. 
At  0.10  A.  M.  I  was  awakened  by  the  trembling  and 
creaking  of  the  ship,  and  almost  immediately  the  man 
on  watch  came  in  my  room  to  inform  mo  that  the  ice 
was  again  in  motion.  Hastily  tumbling  out  and  dress- 
ing I  went  out  on  the  ice.  The  grinding  and  crushing 
flow  of  ice  to  the  westward  had  again  commenced,  and 
the  jamming  of  large  pieces  from  time  to  time,  splin- 
tering our  floe,  cauned  breaks  and  upheavals  to  within 
about  seventy-five  feet  of  the  ship.  The  ship  groaned 
and  creaked  at  every  pressure  until  1  thought  the  next 
would  break  her  adrift.  The  pressure  was  tremendous, 
and  the  noise  was  not  calculated  to  calm  one's  mind. 
1  know  of  no  sound  on  shore  that  can  be  compared  to 


i; 

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iii 


170 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANN'ETTE. 


it.  A  rumble,  a  sshriek,  a  groan,  and  a  crash  of  a  falling 
house  all  combined  might  serve  to  convey  an  idea  of 
the  noise  with  which  this  motion  of  ice-Hoes  is  accom- 
panied. Great  masses,  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  feet 
in  height  when  up-ended,  are  sliding  along  at  variou? 
angles  of  elevation  and  jam,  and  between  and  among 
them  are  large  and  confused  nuisscs  of  debris,  like  a 
marble  yard  adrift.  Occasionally,  a  stoppage  occurs  ; 
some  piece  has  caught  against  or  under  our  floe ;  then 
occurs  a  •"•roanino;  and  cracking' ;  our  floe  bends  and 
humps  up  in  places  like  domes.  Crash!  the  dome  splits, 
another  yard  of  lioe  edge  breaks  oil",  the  pressure  is 
relieved,  and  on  goes  again  the  flowing  mass  of  rum- 
bles, shrieks,  groans,  etc.,  for  another  spell. 

Our  performance  lasted  only  for  half  an  hour  this 
time.  At  its  conclusion  1  was  startled  to  find  that  a 
break  had  occurred  in  the  floe  across  the  bows  of  the 
.ship  running  towards  the  southwest,  and  that  a  pro- 
jecting floeberg  was  plowing  its  way  like  a  wedge  to 
break  up  the  tloe  ahead  of  us  and  make  a  junction  with 
the  old  st-Lcam.  In  this  case  we  should  be  in  the  centre 
of  an  island,  small  at  that,  whose  edges  woidd  be  worn 
away  on  all  sides  luitil  we  were  left  alone  to  be  hurried 
along  in  the  race.  At  4.20  p.  m.  the  excitement  began 
again,  and  this  time  we  had  it  heavily  for  four  hours.  I 
fully  made  up  my  mind  that  we  must  go  adrift.  Hur- 
riedly we  broke  up  our  temporary  observatory  near  the 
ship  and  took  the  instruments  on  board,  suspending  our 
meteorological  record  while  graver  mattera  required  our 
attention.  Everything  movable  was  brought  in,  and 
finally  the  dogs  were  with  great  difficulty  collected  and 
brought  on  board  ship,  a  proceeding  which  they  did  not 
like,  and  which  they  resented  by  jumping  over  the  rail 
on  the  ice  again,  until  we  boarded  it  up  so  high  they 


■ft 


i 


FAST    IN  Tin:   ICE. 


171 


i  Via 


could  not  clear  it,  and  then  they  relieved  their  minds 
by  flights  among  themselves. 

This  movement  of  the  ice  begins  to  make  me  believe 
it  is  a  ti(^ial  action  of  some  kind,  although  it  Hows  in 
but  one  way  —  to  the  westward.  Fearing  another  rush 
during  the  niglit,  I  ordered  everybody  to  hold  himself 
in  readiness  for  immediate  action,  sleeping  myself  with 
ni}'  clothes  on  and  knapsack  handy  in  case  of  accident. 
As  is  usual  nearly  every  day  we  had  light,  drifting 
snow. 

Nocemher  12th,  Wedneadcaj .  —  At  4.15  A.  m.  Mr.  Ncw- 
oomb,  who  sat  up  until  this  hour,  roused  me  with  the 
information  that  the  ice  was  again  in  motion.  Rushed 
out  on  deck  and  found  that  we  were  in  for  a  lively  time. 
The  pressure  was  greater  than  ever  before  in  our  ex- 
perience. To  the  ice  rushing  and  growling  alongside 
of  us  1  did  not  pay  much  attention,  for  though  our  Hoe 
luunped  badly,  and  cracked  and  split  in  all  directions, 
there  was  not  much  obstruction  to  the  flow  of  ice.  But 
the  break  in  the  lioe  across  the  bows  gave  me  serious 
concern,  for  I  saw  the  piled-up  ice  advancing  to'vard  us 
seemingly  as  fast  as  a  man  could  walk.  Abandoning 
the  line  of  union  which  it  yesterday  tried  to  make 
diagonally  across  the  bow  to  the  flowing  stream  on  the 
port  quarter,  it  bore  down  directly  upon  us.  At  each 
grind  of  the  advancing  mass  it  piled  up  tloebergs  in 
front  of  it,  and  the  ship  shook  and  trembled  like  a  reed. 
From  my  post  on  top  of  the  deck-house  the  view  was 
magnilicent  though  awful.  I  fully  expected  we  should 
be  swept  away  into  the  grinding  stream,  and  as  the  ap- 
proaching ice  made  one  more  startling  advance  than 
usual,  I  grasped  the  mainstay  to  keep  my  place  when 
the  final  crash  should  come.  All  hands  had  been  called 
and  stood  ready,  although  there  was  really  nothing  to 


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172 


TIIK    VOVAC.K   (H-     rili:  JKAXXKTTE. 


be  done.  When  .at  G.25  the  advancinj^  wall  was  twenty- 
live  feet  from  the  i^teni,  the  pressure  suddenly  ceased, 
and  everything  was  (juiet  again.  At  seven  the  iirst 
signs  of  dawn  made  their  appearance,  and  as  the  in- 
crea  sing  dajdight  made  objects  evident  to  our  eyes,  it 
was  a  startling  spectacle  to  see  the  confused  wreck  that 
had  been  made  of  our  once  smooth  Hoe.  The  dogs, 
which  had  been  carefully  brought  on  board  at  the  first 
Avarnitig,  were  now  liberated  again  to  the  ice,  where 
they  Hew  around  with  all  the  gayety  of  children  let  out 
of  school. 

At  nine  a.  m.  land  was  seen  on  the  boarinsi:s  of  Octo- 
ber  29th,  and  recognized  as  our  so-called  north  side  of 
Wrangel  Land.  I  was  exceedingly  anxious  all  day, 
for  1  counted  upon  the  usual  afternoon  tidal  pressure, 
which  1  fully  expected  would  finish  the  work  begini 
and  almost  com])letod  this  morning.  But  to  my  great 
surprise  not  a  movement  occurred,  and  I  again  kept 
my  clothes  on  all  night  ready  for  a  startling  call. 
Highest  temperature  minus  11° ;  lowest  minus  24°. 
Sounded  at  noon  in  eighteen  fathoms  (blue  mud). 

November  loth,  TJnirxday.  —  Aroused  at  two  a.  m.  by 
a  loud  crack  under  the  ship.  Collins,  who  ran  out  to 
examine,  reported  that  he  saw  no  signs  of  trouble,  ex- 
cept a  number  of  small  cracics  across  the  bow,  and  the 
fact  that  the  rent  leading  out  from  the  stem  had  opened 
to  an  inch  in  width.  I  concluded  this  would  prove  a 
forerunner  to  a  morning's  excitement,  but  again  1  was 
pleasantly  disappointed.  Not  a  thing  disturbed  us  for 
the  remainder  of  the  night,  and  the  day  wore  on,  after- 
noon came,  and  still  no  trouble.  Ihe  meteorological  in- 
struments were  put  out  on  a  temporary  observatory  hill 
near  the  ship,  and  I  began  to  hope  that  we  might  have  a 
few  days'  peace.    At  eleven  p.  m.  1  went  out  to  record  the 


\il 


FAST    IN  THE   RE. 


173 


by 


teinperatiires  and  anoinometer,  and  stood  on  the  liill  a 
lew  moments  regardini^  a  beautiful  auroral  areh  extend- 
in"-  from  E.  by  S.  to  W.  by  N.,  the  crown  l)einjr  70  in 
elevation  and  bearin<!;  north.  Hearing  a  few  little  crack- 
les, like  a  dog  .*'alking  over  snow,  1  looked  around  to 
see  which  dog  had  followed  me,  when  1  descried  two 
men  running  over  the  gangway  and  racing  for  the 
stem.  I  ran  there  at  once,  and  to  my  ama/AMuent  saw 
the  ice  Moat  away  to  the  northward  along  our  whole 
length,  leaving  nothing  but  water  on  our  port  side.  In 
twenty  minutes  we  had  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
width  water  on  oin*  port  side,  —  the  split  occurring  in 
as  neat  a  line  with  the  keel  as  if  the  keel  had  cut  it, 
the  ship  remaining  fast  to  the  lloe  along  her  star- 
board side,  not  even  a  crack  being  made  in  her  snow 
wall.  The  whole  port  side,  snow  wall  intact,  just  slid 
away  without  noise  or  excitement.  Four  of  our  dogs 
which  lay  asleep  on  the  tloe  were  not  awakened  by  the 
movement  until  the  ice  was  nearly  one  hundred  feet 
away,  and  then  they  could  not  got  back,  our  hands 
being  too  full  in  getting  our  thing.s  aboard  to  send  for 
them. 

The  meteorological  instruments  were  once  more  hur- 
riedly gotten  on  board  ;  the  dogs,  except  Tom  and  his 
three  companions,  collected  and  penned  on  the  (juarter 
deck ;  both  dingys  got  up  on  the  roof  of  the  deck- 
house, the  steam-cutter  dug  out  of  the  ice  and  placed 
on  the  roof  likewise,  the  tripods  taken  in,  all  boats 
cleared  away  ready  for  lowering,  the  port  after  clew  of 
the  quarter  deck  awning  triced  up  ready  for  passing 
out  provisions,  etc. ;  and  by  midnight  nothing  belong- 
ing to  the  ship  remained  outside  of  her. 

S.  W.  winds  until  eleven  p.  m.,  when  calm.  Barom- 
eter rist  s  from  29-74  to  29.82.     Highest  temperature 


ii 

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174 


TllK    VOYAGE   OF  THE  JEANNKTTE. 


inimiH  10°.  lowest  teinpenituro  inimis  15';  sounded  at 
noon  in  twenty  fathoms,  blue  mud. 

Kept  everybody  in  his  clothes  ready  tor  a  call,  piping" 
down  alter  serving  out  hot  eoll'ee  lorward  and  hot  tea 
aft. 

Nononhi'i'  Wth^  FrUItoj.  —  Nothing  occurred  to  dis- 
turb us  during  the  night,  although  of  course  anxietv  as 
to  what  might  occur  at  any  moment  did  not  allow  us  to 
get  nuich  sleep.  1  sincerely  pray  that  we  are  not  go- 
ing to  have  the  experience  of  the  Tegetthof  in  her  long 
and  peiilous  drift  in  the  |)ack.  This  steady  strain  on 
one's  mind  is  fearful.  Seemingly  we  are  not  secure  for 
a  moment,  and  yet  we  can  take  no  measures  for  our  se- 
curity. A  crisis  nuiy  occur  at  any  moment,  and  we  can 
do  nothing  but  be  thankful  in  the  morning  that  it  has 
not  come  dui-iug  the  night,  and  at  night  that  it  has  not 
come  since  the  morning.  Living  over  a  powder-mill 
waiting  for  an  explosion  would  be  a  similar  mode  of 
existence.  Our  nights  are  beginning  to  be  very  long. 
To-day  the  sun  rose  at  10.30  A.  M.  and  set  about  1.30  P.  m. 
Twilight  on  clear  days  begins  about  seven  a.  m.  and  ends 
at  live  r.  m.,  giving  us  fourteen  hours  black  night.  Be- 
fore many  days  the  sun  will  leave  us  altogether,  and  we 
shall  have  n  long  spell  of  waiting  for  his  reappearance. 
Daylight  this  morning  showed  us  that  our  port  iioe  with 
its  snow  wall  was  live  hundred  yards  to  the  northward. 
It  first  moved  to  the  eastward,  then  to  the  westward, 
end  finally  came  to  a  stand  opposite  its  proper  place 
alongside  the  ship,  and  live  hundred  yards  distant.  Ice 
formed  four  inches  in  thickness  in  the  fire-liole  during 
the  night.  As  the  sun  came  up  we  again  saw  our 
*'  north  side  of  Wrangel  Land,"  between  S.  40"  W.  and 
8.  G"  W.  bearings.  And  we  again  sighted  our  old  friend 
Herald  Island,  bearing  8.  49°  E.,  all  bearings  true. 


FAST    IN    rilK   K  K. 


175 


November  15//<,  Saturday.  —  A  day  of  comijlcto 
(Uiic't  as  lar  as  ii!o  is  conccnicMl.  The  open  water  on 
our  port,  side  has  fro/en  over  siilHciently  to  hear 
walkinj'-  upon  it.  Alexey  was  uccordinn;ly  sent  to 
the  opposite  side  lor  Tom  and  his  friends,  and  he 
hrought  the  three  (not  four)  missing  (U)gs  back,  to  my 
great  satisl'aetion,  and  no  doubt  to  theirs  also,  fo»;  they 
seemed  ghid  to  return  to  the  hind  of  dried  fish.  Not 
that  tiiey  had  hmigered  during  the  separation,  for 
Alexey  says  he  saw  u  h)t  of  bones  where  they  were, 
which  these  dogs  had  no  doubt  saved  in  times  of  plenty 
and  buried  in  the  .snow  for  future  emergencies.  The 
remaining  (Ujgs  were  very  indignant  at  the  absent  but 
returning  ones,  and  had  they  not  been  prevented  wouhl 
have  given  them  a  fight  as  a  ceh'bration,  looking  no 
doubt  on  the  enforced  separation  as  some  new  dodge 
for  shirking  work.  Finished  to-day  making  slee[)ing 
haiis  for  all  hands. 

Novonher  l(i//<,  Stnidat/.  —  At  eleven  a.  m.  held  my 
usual  inspection.  Found  everything  dry  and  comforta- 
ble below.  At  one  r.  M.  held  divine  service.  The  S.  P]. 
wind  which  sprang  up  yesterday  blew  with  great  force 
during  the  night  with  terrific  squalls  ;  and  though  its 
velocity  foi*  a  whole  hour  was  no  greater  than  seventeen 
miles,  at  thnes  it  must  have  been  at  the  rate  of  fifty 
miles.  It  continued  blowing  during  the  day,  and  1 
stood  by  from  midnight  for  some  exciting  result.  We 
are  seemingly  resting  in  a  cradle  made  under  the  ship 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  foremast,  and  which  has  not 
been  sufficiently  disturbed  by  our  port  fioe  leaving  us 
to  set  us  adrift ;  for  although  the  heavy  wind  has  been 
blowing  on  our  starboard  bow  (its  best  hold  for  shoving 
us  off),  we  hang  on  bravely.  Should  large  masses  of 
ice  come  grindintr  ak 


il 

ill 

j  ^   Ij 


il  !■  [i 


our  port 


•1^ 


s\\ 


illi 


T^ 


176 


TIIK   VOYAfJE  OF   TIIK  JKANNKT'rE. 


tion  of  endunincu  iis  to  our  retiiininj^  our  present  place. 
The  view  to  port  thcrelore  roceivos  our  grciitcst  coiiHid- 
eriitiou. 

At  2.0O  P.  M.  the  young  ice  alongsltle  of  us  cotnmoneos 
to  split,  and  inunudiately  tlu'  flochergs  conuueneu  to 
make  down  on  us.  Jumping  on  tlie  deck-house  1  view 
the  procession  with  some  anxiety.  J5y  great  good  for- 
tune a  projecting  piece  of  our  stnrl)oard  lloe  holds  on 
and  fends  off  the  llouting  [)ie('es,  and  this  push,  aided 
by  the  wind,  carries  all  dangerous  masses  just  clear  of 
our  port  side.  Just  astern  of  us  there  happens  to  be  a 
bight  in  the  iloe,  into  which  the  drifting  ice  goes  «(uietly 
and  cond'ortably,  and  the  open  spaces  being  soon  Hlled 
up  the  movement  ceases  about  three. 

To-day  the  sun  left  us,  Jiltliough  for  all  the  good  he 
did  ho  might  have  left  yesterday.  The  weather  was  so 
cloudy  that  we  had  nothing  more  than  daylight.  In  sev- 
enty-one days  we  will  be  looking  for  his  reai)pearance. 

Novitmher  17t/i,  Monday.  —  Ice  (juiet  during  the  day. 

Noccmher  I'Sih,  I'lasdai/.  — \t  six  a.  m.,  with  a  light 
northern  wind,  the  ice  got  under  way  again  and  jammed 
along  to  the  N.  W.  The  pressure  across  the  bows  was 
very  great,  and  this  time  the  grinding  mass  fairly 
reached  the  stem.  1  surely  expected  the  ship  to  be 
carried  along  with  it,  but  a  heavy  beam  pressure  held 
us  up  against  our  lloe,  and  the  barricade  was  switched 
off  at  an  angle.  The  pressure  lasted  until  noon,  the 
ship  creaking  considerjdjly,  rising  a  little,  and  heeling 
over  4V  to  starboard. 

JVovonlji't'  VJth,  Wednesdai/.  —  From  six  a.  m.  to 
noon  heavy  ice  pressure  on  port  quarter  and  beam,  in- 
ci  easing  our  heel  to  5°.  From  six  to  seven  p.  m.  heavy 
beam  pressure. 

November  20th,  Thursday. — Beyond  occasional  slight 


KAsr   m  TIIK   K  K. 


177 


i 


t  plnoe. 
coiisid- 

imenecs 

L'llCU     to 

5  1  view 
ood  ior- 
lolds  on 
li,  uided 
clour  of 

to  1)0  il 

(juiotly 
DU  iilU'd 

(rood  lio 

o 

r  was  so 

In  sev- 
tinince. 
he  day. 

a  li<ilit 

amniod 
ows  uas 
fairly 
to  1)0 
lire  hold 
witched 
)on,  the 

hooling 

i.  M.  to 
.'am,  in- 
[.  heavy 


al  sli<^ht 


prpssurc.  which  increased  our  iieel  to  starboard  to  0', 
we  have  a  day  of  no  uneasiness.  That  is  to  say,  wo  are 
not  nioiiiontarily  expoctinj^  to  ho  turned  away  from  our 
Hue  and  sent  grindinj^  along  with  a  stream  of  drifting 
Hue  lumps,  or  iook'.n!.''  '\n-  a  breaking  in  of  our  side 
bv  iimnenso  prossup.;.  IJut  as  1  cannot  help  realizing 
that  we  are  in  an  exposed  and  dangerous  position,  and 
that  either  of  the  foregoing  catastrophes  nniy  occur  at 
anv  momi'nt,  1  cannot  bo  said  to  enjoy  quiet  or  neace 
of  mind.  Sleoi)ing  with  all  my  clothes  on,  and  st  ii  ling 
u[)  an.xiously  at  every  snap  or  crack  in  the  ice  >ut8ide 
oi-  the  ship's  frame  inside,  most  ell'ectually  p  <  /ont.s  my 
getting  a  pr<)!)er  kind  or  amount  of  rest,  and  yet  I  d«» 
not  see  aii_)  ihing  else  in  store  IVr  me  for  some  time  to 
cui  .  !.  This  pack  is  likely  to  hav  some  motion  all 
winter  I  suppose.  So  long  as  there  may  be  water  down 
by  Behring  .Strait  there  will  be  space  for  relieving  the 
pressure.  But  when  the  outlets  close  up  and  pressure 
contimies,  whether  by  wind  or  tidal  action,  the  hump- 
ing and  piling  up  will  go  on  around  us  and  keep  us  in  a 
constant  state  of  turmoil  for  months  to  come.  Truly  this 
is  no  pleasant  predicament.  Wintering  in  the  pack  may 
be  a  thrilling  thing  to  read  about  alonuside  a  warm  lire 
in  a  comfortable  home,  but  the  actual  thing  is  sulficient 
to  make  any  man  prematurely  old.  Since  we  have  be- 
come surrounded  by  ice  again,  and  could  hardly  move 
very  far  or  very  fast,  I  have  allowed  the  dogs  to  remain 
on  the  iloe  again  to  our  mutual  satisfaction.  Though 
a  few  luxurious  ones  prefer  seeking  the  shelter  of  the 
ship,  the  majority  prefer  living  in  the  open  air ;  hence 
our  attempt  to  bring  them  on  boa)'d  only  resulted  in 
a  series  of  fights  and  violent  attempts  to  break  away 
again.  Once  on  board  it  would  take  four  niei  to  keep 
one  dog  from  breaking  for  the  ice,  and  there  have  been 


111 


!  : 


f     f 


•I     !' 


t 


h 


^rtlBBfSWl 


'^r^mmm 


178 


THE  VOYVGE  OF  THE  JKAXXETTK. 


frequent  escapes.  The  other  niglit  one  of  the  strag- 
glers was  taken  by  Collins  to  be  a  bear.  A  ritle  was 
hurried  for,  but  the  ''bear"  had  left  fortunately,  else 
we  might  have  had  a  dead  dog  on  our  hands.  Last 
night  one  of  them  fearing  an  iuiprisonment  must  have 
wught  shelter  on  the  ice  hunns  on  the  port  side.  At 
all  events  he  was  there  this  evening  ;  and  the  ice  hav- 
ing moved  off  a  few  feet  from  us,  leaving  a  water  hole, 
he  could  not  come  back  the  way  he  went,  and  would 
not  come  by  any  other  in  spite  of  our  coaxing.  While 
walking  on  the  ice  alongside  I  heard  a  subdued  "  yelp  " 
imder  the  bow,  and  rushing  there  I  was  just  in  time 
to  plunge  my  hand  in  the  water,  and  save  our  canine 
friend  from  going  undei"  for  good.  lie  was  pretty  far 
gone  and  remained  in  a  dazed  condition  for  an  hour  or 
two  alter  I  hauled  him  out. 

JVovembcr  2lsf,  Fr'uhuj.  —  Slight  pressure  in  the 
forenoon,  after  which  the  ice  recedes,  leaving  a  line  of 
open  water  on  our  port  side.  Sight  the  laud  again 
on  its  accustomed  beariui>;s.  Bright  moonlight  and  star- 
liiiht.  At  twelve  midnight  a  bright  halo  around  the 
moon  about  2"  in  diameter,  and  showing  prismatic  colors, 
the  crimson  on  the  outer  (i{]\r,Q.  predominating.  The  low 
temperature  lills  the  air  with  frost  dust,  through  which 
the  moon's  rays  are  prisinatically  seen.  Position  at 
seven  r.  m.  shows  a  drift  since  November  17th  of  twen- 
ty-two miles  W.  4°  S. 

Noi'cmber  I'ld,  Saturdntj.  —  The  day  begins  with  a 
calm,  but  at  three  A.  m.  a  N.  E.  wind  sets  in,  and  blows 
until  midnight  with  varying  velocity,  the  maximum 
being  thirteen  miles.  The  barometer  falls  alarmingly 
fast  from  29.72  to  28.88,  and  the  temperature  rap- 
idly runs  up  from  minus  17°  to  plus  10".  The  wind 
blows  in  heavy  squalls  at  times,  but  I  see  no  indication 


While 
yelp  " 


FAST  IN  THE  TCE. 


179 


of  very  bad  weather  until  perhaps  when  the  barometer 
bo"ins  to  rise  aj^ain.  Sounded  at  noon  in  twenty-tliree 
I'iithoms,  and  the  lead  line  indicated  a  drift  to  the  west- 
ward. We  experience  a  shght  pressure  under  stern 
from  tloes  which  have  advanced  from  the  southward  to 
cover  up  the  vast  expanse  of  open  water  which  has 
l)oen  on  our  port  beam. 

Alexev  and  Nindemann  while  out  this  afternoon  fell 
in  with  a  bear  and  her  cub.  Alexey  shot  and  killed 
the  bear,  and  had  a  lively  tussle  with  the  cub,  in  which 
he  fot  his  clothes  torn.  The  ice  was  so  uncertain,  and 
it  was  so  late,  three  r.  M.,  when  Nindemann  got  to  the 
ship  to  report  the  shooting,  that  I  did  not  run  the  risk 
of  trving  to  get  the  dead  bear  to-night,  and  accord- 
ingly sent  the  metallic  dingy  to  bring  Alexey  back, 
leaving  the  game  until  to-morrow.  ''Plenty  jump," 
says  Alexey. 

Kot'cmher  2oc7,  Simdd}/.  —  The  day  begins  with  N.  E. 
winds,  which  change  to  S.  E.  and  back  to  N.  E.  with  a 
velocity  varying  from  three  to  thirteen  miles  an  hour, 
diuiiit!:  which  the  barometer  steadilv  falls  to  28.79, 
and  the  temperature  rises  to  plus  24°,  making  it  uncom- 
fortably M'arm  while  exercising.  At  nine  v.  M.,  after  a 
siiort  calm,  the  wind  comes  out  suddenly  from  the  S. 
AV.  with  a  velocity  which  almost  immediately  amounts 
to  twenty  miles  an  hour,  and  causes  the  temperatuic  to 
fall  quickly  to  plus  5°.  The  weather,  which  before  the 
shift  had  been  overcast  and  hazy,  clears  so  that  at  mid- 
night we  have  the  benefit  of  moonlight  and  starlight. 

A  few  pressures  during  the  day  are  the  only  things 
which  disturb  us.  At  one  r.  m.  the  advancing  Hoes 
];ile  up  the  ice  under  the  bows,  and  1  have  no  doubt 
that  this  will  serve  as  an  entering  wedge  which,  aided 
by  the  w  iud  on  our  starboard  beam,  will,  before  this 


ill 


t!^  t '' 


i  ! 


•     i 


T 
'it 

I 


ii: 


1 

i 

^■j  1 

; 

i 

■ 

li     I 


1 

i 

b 

1: 

1 

1      ^ 

■■ 

L  ^^. 

180 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  .TE ANNETTE. 


southwester  is  over,  break  us  out  of  the  bed  where  we 
have  so  snugly  lain  for  over  two  and  a  half  months. 
Nindemann  and  Alexey  started  off  in  pursuit  of  the 
bear  shot  yesterday.  But  owing  to  the  opening  of  the 
ice  in  the  mean  time  thov  were  unable  to  reach  the 
place  of  the  conflict. 

Inspected  the  ship  at  eleven  a.  m.,  and  held  divine 
service  at  1.30  p.  m. 

November  24th,  Monday,  —  Tt  has  come  at  last;  we 
are  broken  adrift  from  our  floe  !  Suspecting  what  the 
continued  action  of  this  S.  W.  wind  would  be,  I  made 
sure  to  have  all  the  dogs  securely  housed  on  board  ship 
before  I  wont  to  bed  last  night,  i.  e.,  before  I  lay  down 
in  my  clothes  to  get  some  sleep.  At  five  r.  :m.  I  was 
aroused  by  a  preliminary  pressure  mider  the  bow. 
Turning  out  I  reached  the  deck-house  top  in  time  to 
see  a  very  severe  nip  which  started  our  port  bulwark 
planking,  the  ice  l)oing  already  piled  higher  than  our 
port  rail  in  some  places.  The  ice  under  the  bow  was 
piled  up  as  high  as  our  figure-head,  and  the  pressure  in 
this  direction  was  increasing.  A  floe  piece  with  a  wedge 
shape  had  pierced  '•  our "  floe,  and  was  exerting  its 
force  bravely,  ''^he  ship  creaked  and  groaned.  Some- 
thing had  to  give,  for  the  pressure  from  ahead  and 
abeam  was  very  great.  Suddeidy  the  ship  lifted  by  the 
stern,  the  wedge  advanced,  and  our  floe  was  split,  and 
the  port  pressure  decreasing  we  were  afloat  on  an  even 
keel  once  more.  The  port  floe  moved  slowly  to  the  N. 
E.,  and  we  followed  it,  our  snug  cradle  of  two  and  a  half 
months  being  s[)lit  and  shattered,  and  uo  longer  our 
refuge  and  our  strength.  All  our  oiTocts  being  long 
since  removed  we  had  nothing  to  bring  in  but  our  gang- 
plank, which  was  soon  accomplished.  Throughout  the 
day  we  remained  nearly  in  the  same  place,  resting  at 


^ 


FAST  TN  THE  ICE. 


181 


one  time  against  one  floe,  and  at  other  times  against 
another. 

The  S.  W.  wind  blew  with  a  velocity  between  twenty 
and  twenty-six  miles  an  hour,  changing  occasionally  to 
W.  S.  W. ;  towards  midnight  it  moderated  to  fifteen  miles 
an  hour.  The  barometer  steadily  rose  from  28.95  to 
20. Go.  The  highest  temperature  was  plus  2.5°;  the 
lowest  minus  5".  The  air  was  filled  with  falling  and 
drifting  snow  all  day.  Sounded  at  noon  in  twenty-two 
fathoms,  and  observed  our  drift  to  be  to  the  northward 
and  eastward. 

Noi-ember  2oth,  Tuesday. —  The  S.  W.  wind  piped 
up  again  after  midnight,  and  blew  with  a  velocity  va- 
rying from  twelve  to  twenty  miles  until  eleven  a.  m., 
when  it  went  to  west,  remaining  there  until  midnight, 
blowing  with  a  velocity  varying  between  twelve,  seven, 
and  three  miles.  The  barometer  rose  rapidly  from  29. 
04  to  30.-)2,  —  so  rapidly,  in  fact,  that  I  am  suspicious 
of  it,  and  inclined  to  look  for  some  more  bad  weather. 
Highest  temperature  minus  .3.5"  ;  lowest  minus  12". 
Bright  moonlight  and  starlight.  Sounded  at  noon  eigh- 
teen and  one  half  fathoms. 

To-day  has  been  one  of  the  most  anxious  and  excit- 
ing days  we  have  yet  had.  At  G.15  a  slight  pressure 
on  the  port  bow  commenced  hostilities.  At  0.15  a  very 
heavy  squeezing  on  port  side  started  our  bulwark  plank- 
ing, and  pinching  down  under  us  heeled  the  ship  3°  to 
port.  At  ten  a.  m.  the  pressure  ceased,  and  we  were 
left  floating  upright  in  a  small  lead  of  open  water,  and 
adrift  as  far  as  any  iloo  ice  was  concerned.  For  a  time 
1  was  undecided  what  to  do.  There  was  no  tloe  near 
us  large  enough  to  anchor  to  securely,  and  the  chance 
of  another  pressure  coming  while  the  ship  was  tied  up 
uiid  unable  to  give  to  it  was  too  unsatisfactory.     If  the 


m 


: 

in  M 


i 

1 

i 

H 

1 

•I 

'■ 

lil 


f[  < 


m 


182 


TUK   VOYAGE   OF    IIIE  .IKANNiyiTE. 


ship  were  tree  when  the  ice  moved  she  would  ^o  along 
with  it ;  if  she  were  tied  up  she  might  have  to  stand  the 
brunt  in  a  very  unfavorable  position.  As  it  was,  she  lay 
in  a  kind  of  canal  a  little  wider  than  her  own  length, 
and  ready  for  action  ahead  or  astern.  1  concluded  to 
let  her  remain  so,  and  watch  for  results.  At  five 
r.  yi.  I  noticed  that  she  commenced  floating  stern  first 
through  the  canal.  About  a  mile  astern  (E.)  was  a 
large  patch  of  open  water,  and  from  ahead  (W.)  the 
broken  fioe  pieces  were  gathering  away  and  coming 
down  upon  us.  At  a  little  bend  in  the  canal  her  stern 
took  the  fioe  and  held  fast,  while  her  bow  i)ayed  around 
as  prettily  as  if  we  were  casting  under  jibs.  No  sooner 
had  she  got  stern  to  the  wind  than  the  advancing  ice 
was  upon  us,  and  we  were  pushed,  forced,  squeezed, 
driven  through  this  mile  of  a  canal  amid  a  grinding  and 
groaning  of  timbers  and  a  crashing  and  tumblinjjj  of  ice 
that  was  fearful  to  look  at.  Still  we  sailed  on,  and  in  a 
half  hour  or  so  were  sent  out  into  the  opening  beyond 
where  our  speed  decreased,  and  drifting  over  toward  a 
thin  tloe  we  ran  our  bows  into  the  young  ice  and  held 
fast  heading  S.  Though  we  moved  at  no  time  with 
greater  speed  than  say  two  knots  an  hour,  our  passage 
through  that  sluiceway  of  running  ice  was  enough  to 
make  one's  hair  stand  on  end,  and  each  of  us  heaved 
a  sigh  of  relief  when  it  was  over.  If  we  had  in  the 
morning  planted  an  ice-anchor  to  a  small  floe,  I  am 
convinced  this  pressiu-e  would  have  torn  us  away  froui 
it,  and  the  stream  of  flowing  ice  might  have  jammed  us 
across  this  canal  and  given  us  souie  injury,  even  if  it 
had  not  climbed  on  board.  Having  a  bright  moon, 
nearly  full,  we  could  see,  and  that  was  a  great  comfort. 
I  could  not  help  thinking  how  much  worse  it  would 
have  been  on  a  dark  night,  when  we  could  have  heard 


ifi. 


FAST   IN   THE   ICE. 


183 


go  along 
stand  the 
•s,  she  lay 
II  length, 
eluded  to 

At  five 
tern  first 
!^.)  Avas  a 
(W.)  the 
I  comhitj 
lier  stern 
d  around 
\o  sooner 
ichig  ice 
queezed, 
[ling  and 
iig  of  ice 
and  in  a 

beyond 
oward  a 
md  held 
ne  with 

passage 
ough  to 

heaved 
in  the 

,  I  am 
ly  from 

med  us 
'en  if  it 

moon, 
omfort. 

would 
heard 


all  tills  trouble  and  yet  have  seen  nothing.  What  one 
can  see,  he  can  to  some  extent  prepare  for  ;  but  it  is  the 
unseen  danger  that  strikes  the  most  terror  to  the  heart. 
A  man  must  be  a  hard  unbeliever  who  does  not  recog- 
nize a  divine  hand  in  these  wonderful  escapes. 

A  most  beautiful  efl"ect  was  created  to-night  by  the 
iiiooulight  reflected  or  refracted  from  the  iloes.  A  pure 
o-oltlen  light  was  thrown  around  and  above  the  ice, 
making  one  believe  he  was  looking  into  fairyland. 

Noi'emher  2()th,  Wvlnesday.  —  My  suspicious  at  the 
.sudden  rise  of  the  barometer  yesterday  were  correct, 
for  to-day  we  have  had  and  are  having  a  snorter  from 
the  S.  E.  The  day  opened  calm,  and  so  continued  until 
four  A.  M..  when  a  light  S.  E.  wind  came  up.  This 
slowly  freshened,  until  at  noon  it  was  blowing  with  a 
velocity  of  eight  miles  an  hour,  and  at  one  p.  m.  the 
gale  burst  upon  us,  Ijlowing  twenty-one  miles  the  first 
hour  and  reaching  twentv-niue  miles  before  midnight. 
The  barometer  rose  to  30.27  until  the  wind  freshened, 
when  it  began  to  fall,  reaching  30.28  at  midnight. 
The  weather  had  a  hard  and  angry  look,  and  T  see  we 
are  in  for  a  screamer.  The  temperature  began  at  mi- 
nus 9.  but  rose  to  plus  l(f  as  the  day  ended. 

The  ^hip  held  fast  in  the  young  ice  in  which  she 
ran  last  night,  but  shook  from  truck  to  keelson  as  the 
heavy  gusts  took  her.  A  few  water  holes  were  in  our 
neig'  ^"^M'liood,  and  the  niain  solid  pack  could  be  seen 
in  all  duectious.  This  bay  will  no  doubt  close  as  soon 
as  the  ice  takes  up  its  motion  again,  which  1  have  ob- 
served occurs  when  there  is  little  or  no  wind.  The 
heavy  winds  pack  up  the  large  masses,  and  in  the  calms 
and  light  winds,  the  pressure  being  removed,  every- 
thing struggles  to  get  back  again  to  its  old  condition, 
and  openings  and  races  occur.     Sounded  at  noon  in 


If 


■  \ 


I'  ! 

fill 


n:'i 


U 


i: 


m 


184 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  .IE ANNETTE. 


'Im  ' 


'1 

.i 

h 


fe 


twenty-one  fathoms  (soft  bottom).  Sighted  land  on 
the  same  general  hearings  of  October  29th. 

Novemher  21(11,  Thursday.  —  The  wind  went  to  S. 
S.  E.,  and  blew  all  day  very  hard,  its  velocity  ranging 
from  twenty-five  to  forty  miles  an  hour.  The  squalls 
were  very  heavy,  and  though  we  moved  only  about 
half  a  length  astern  (to  leeward,  where  we  brought 
up  against  young  ice),  the  ship  shook  as  if  her  spars 
were  coming  out  of  her.  At  midnight  the  gale  con- 
tinued in  full  blast.  The  lead  line  showed  a  drift  to 
the  N.  W.  Evidently  all  the  ice  is  drifting  the  same 
way,  for  the  shores  of  our  bay  do  not  seem  to  contract 
much,  and  so  I  suppose  there  must  be  some  large  water 
space  to  the  N.  W.  into  a\  liich  all  this  ice  is  drifting. 
If  it  brings  up  anywhere  before  a  N.  W.  wind  can  stop 
its  way  the  pressure  down  liere  will  be  tremendous,  and 
our  open  bay  will  shut  up  like  magic,  in  which  case  we 
must  prepare  for  more  anxiety. 

Since  being  beset  to  the  present  time,  though  we 
have  had  difficulty  in  getting  snow  pure  enough  to 
nuike  drinking  Avater,  we  have  not  been  absolutely  im- 
able  to  do  so.  But  now  there  is  so  little  snow  remain- 
ing in  our  neighborhood  that  we  are  in  a  serious  posi- 
tion. Very  little  snow  has  fallen  thus  far,  and  we  have 
subsisted  on  drifts;  and  as  wo  are  away  from  drifts 
now,  and  cannot  reach  any,  we  have  been  forced  to 
come  down  to  scraping  the  Hoes  around  us.  The  snow 
resulting  is  quite  salt,  and  our  tea  and  coffee  to-day  are 
quite  unfit  to  drink.  It  is  not  safe  in  our  present  con- 
dition to  send  men  away  any  distance,  for  if  the  ice 
breaks  up  (and  fissures  are  to  be  seen  in  aH  directions) 
we  might  go  adrift  again  and  have  more  than  we  could 
do  perhaps  to  get  the  men  back.  Took  the  tempera- 
ture of  a  small  lane  of  water  alongside  at  midnight  and 
found  it  27°. 


on 


FAST   IX  THE   ICE. 


185 


Xovemhcr  2Sth,  Friday.  —  Very  hard  blow  from  S.  E. 
nil  (lay  until  towards  midnight,  when  it  slackened  up  a 
bit.  At  midnight,  however,  it  commenced  piping  up 
aiiiiin  at  S.  E.  by  E.,  promising  another  installment  of 
the  o-ale  for  to-morrow.  Stars  of  the  first  magnitude 
were  easily  seen  to-day  at  one  p.  m. 

There  being  no  chance  of  getting  snow  of  proper  pii- 
}  ritv,  we  got  up  the  Baxter  boiler  to-day,  and,  rigging 

a  coil  to  it,  commenced  distilling.  I  am  afraid  this  will 
])(i  an  expensive  business  in  the  way  of  fuel,  but  it  can- 
not bo  helped.  The  snow  that  we  have  been  able  to 
uet  for  the  last  two  days  has  been  so  salty  that  many 
of  the  officers  and  men  arc  being  treated  for  diarrhoea. 
This,  of  course,  will  never  do,  and  pure  water  must  be 
()l)taiiiod  at  any  cost.  We  are  all  feeling  the  lack  of 
exercise  very  much.  The  ice  is  so  treacherous  that  it 
is  unsafe  to  get  on  it.  The  poor  dogs  also  feel  the  con- 
linoment,  and  when  they  are  not  engaged  in  a  cheerful 
light  go  moping  around  in  a  desolate  way.  They  have 
logular  cliques,  and  occupy  certain  portions  of  the  quar- 
ter deck  exclusively.  Any  trespass  brings  on  a  fight 
inevitably. 

November  29th,  Saiurdaf/.  —  A  day  of  wearing  anx- 
iety. The  gale  continued,  varying  l^etween  E.  by  S. 
and  S.  E.  At  seven  a.  m.  the  ice  commenced  to  move, 
and  seemingly  to  windward,  as  if  the  pressure  were 
forced  back  on  itself.  As  we  lay  broadside  to  the 
movement  we  had  the  full  force  of  it  on  our  frame. 
The  ice  on  our  port  side  (the  weather  side)  seemed 
tougher  and  more  unyielding  than  heretofore,  and  the 
whole  mass  made  our  ship  snap  and  creak  with  the 
squeezing  worse  than  ever  before.  Several  times  the 
pressure  became  so  great  that  the  ship  ceased  to  creak, 
and  the  deck  seemed  ready  to  burst  open.     To  leeward 


ofcf 


it 


■I  ^ 


fW 


t    '' 


.1  ; 


'I;  ;,! 


11 


111 

'■I 


186 


TiiK  voya(;e  of  thk  jKANNKiri:. 


of  us  one  large  sheet  of  ice  would  ride  over  another  large 
sheet,  and  the  two  come  down  against  us ;  the  port  tloe 
would  decline  to  yield  ;  the  two  sheets  to  leeward  w  ould 
break  edges  and  pile  up  blocks  against  our  starboard 
side,  and  then  begin  pressing  against  these ;  the  ship 
would  groan  and  s((uirni  and  then  seem  dead,  while  the 
deck  trembled.  This  might  last  half  an  hour,  and  when 
it  seemed  as  if  wood  and  iron  must  give,  the  port  Hoe 
would  hump  up  and  split,  and  we  would  be  pushed  on 
for  another  nip.  This  sort  of  thing  lasted  until  three 
r.  M.,  and  then  the  nip  seemed  to  be  hardest  of  all,  and 
remained  so.  We  could  not  tell  whether  it  let  up  or 
not,  for  we  were  jammed  tight,  heeling  2^°  to  star- 
board. The  ship  could  not  rise,  for  the  ice  was  only  a 
foot  thick,  and  took  the  ship's  side  above  the  bends 
only ;  it  was  simply  a  question  of  its  going  through 
her,  or  of  her  being  strong  enough  to  stand  it.  Slie 
was  strong  enough,  and  that  is  all  we  can  say.  If  she 
had  not  been  strong  enough  she  would  have  been  cut 
in  two.  Eight  hours  of  this  mental  tension  is  enough 
for  one  day. 

Noi'emhcr  oOfh,  Sunday.  —  A  day  of  peace  and  quiet 
doubly  acceptable  after  the  strain  of  yesterday.  The 
gale  blew  itself  out  at  six  A.  m.,  and  we  had  a  bright 
moonlight  and  starlight  imtil  the  struggling  daylight 
came  into  play  at  nine.  Of  course,  we  do  not  see  the 
sun  at  all,  and  our  noon  is  but  the  twilight  of  ordinary 
latitudes.  Occasionally  it  is  beautiful  indeed,  as,  for 
instance,  to-day,  when  we  had  a  few  golden  and  red 
streaks  in  the  S.,  a  clear  blue  sky  to  about  20°  in  arc, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  heavens  dark  blue,  illumi- 
nated by  a  full  moon.  Venus  was  visible  at  noon.  The 
ice  around  us  made  a  picture  in  its  lights  and  shadows. 
The  broken  pack  surrounded  us  in  all  directions,  while, 


ther  lari>o 
?  port  Hoe 
ard  would 
.starboard 

the  hsliip 
while  the 
and  wlien 

port  Hoe 
mshed  on 
ltd  three 
t"  all,  and 
let  up  or 

to  star- 
as  only  a 
le  bends 

through 

it.  She 
If  nhe 
)een  cut 

enough 

id  quiet 
The 
bright 
ajlight 
see  the 
dinary 
as,  for 
nd  red 
in  arc, 
illumi- 
The 
adovvs. 
while. 


FAST   IN   THE    RE. 


187 


MS  if  in  the  centre  of  a  frozen  lake,  the  Jeannette  lay 
squeezed  by  slabs  of  ice  eight  and  one  half  inches  thick, 
A\ith  humped  up  and  s[)lintored  tloes,  showing  where 
she  had  proved  her  strength. 

Attempts  lo  be  poetical  in  the  Arctic  are  prai.sewor- 
tjiv,  but  1  think  1  shall  give  them  up.  My  sensations 
of  being  in  critical  situations  are  too  keen  to  allow  nie 
to  wiitc  in  cold  blood  about  the  beauties  of  ice  scenery. 
1  will  simply  remark  that  the  pack  is  no  place  for  !i 
sjiip.  and  however  beautiful  it  may  be  from  an  lesthetic 
point  of  view,  I  wish  with  all  my  heart  that  we  were  out 
of  it. 

Wo  wore  able  to  resume  our  exercise  of  two  hours, 
which  was  a  great  benefit  and  comfort  to  us.  Sounded 
at  noon  in  thirty-two  fathoms  (blue  mud),  and  a  (h'ift 
to  tho  N.  and  W.  was  indicated  by  the  lea<l  line.  A 
raven,  which  Hew  around  the  ship,  was  brought  down 
by  a  riflo  shot  by  Aneguin,  and  added  to  the  natural- 
ist's oolloction.  The  loom  of  land  was  seen  to  the  8.  W. 
At  cloven  a.  m.  inspected  the  ship,  and  at  one  v.  yi. 
hold  divine  service. 

\\y  two  lines  of  position  obtained  from  observation  of 
the  moon  and  Mars,  Danenhower  determines  our  posi- 
tion at  T.oO  p.  M.  to  be  latitude  72'  o6'  N.,  longitude 
178"  08' W.,  from  which  it  appears  that  since  November 
21st,  tiie  date  of  our  last  observations,  we  have  drifted 
forty  miles  to  the  N.  T  W. 

I  take  leave  of  the  month  of  November  without  the 
slightest  regret.  It  has  been  a  month  of  gales,  ice  pres- 
sures, and  discomforts  mental  and  physical.  Earnestly 
hoping  that  December  will  drift  us  quietly  and  peacea- 
bly nearer  the  Pole,  and  bring  us  to  some  land  where 
we  can  at  least  have  the  merit  of  discovery  if  not  of 
exploration,  I  say  good-by  to  November,  and  invo  ce 
God's  blessing  on  our  ship  and  ourselves. 


i» 


rf 


if;. 


if  I. 


If! 


<il;  5 


Wi^'f 


fn  M 


lb' 


■h  1] 


'  n 


CHAPTER   VI. 


THE   DEAD   OF   WINTER. 

December,  1H71)  —  '2^  Jauiiuri/,  1880. 

Auroral  Displays.  —  Daily  Wali<s  —  Trouble  witii  Water.  —  The 
Darkness.  —  Monotony  of  Lii'u  in  the  Arctic.  — Tests  of  Liji;iit. — 
Discomfort.  —  The  Sliortest  Day.  —  Cliristnius,  —  Tidal  Action.  — 
The  01(1  Year  and  the  New.  —  festivities.  —  Daneuliower's  Mis- 
fortune. —  A  Cold  Snap.  —  A  J^eak.  —  Serious  Business  to  close 
it.  —  Tiie  I'unips.  —  Reappearance  of  tiie  Sun. 

Decembeu  Ls"^  Mondai/.  —  Tlio  cloar  and  beautiful 
weather  of  yesterday  continues  to-day.  The  barometer 
rises  froui  36. oG  to  30. 5G,  tin  unusual  circumstance, 
and  one  wortliy  of  attention  as  to  its  results.  These 
areas  of  high  and  low  pressures  follow  each  other  like 
waves,  and  bring  lis  generally  quite  as  biid  weather  in 
the  high  as  in  the  low.  The  atmosphere  is  remarkably 
clear,  and  sounds  made  on  the  ice,  while  being  trans- 
mitted to  great  distances,  seem  to  reverbenite  like 
sounds  made  under  a  large  dome.  The  human  voice 
has  all  the  intensity  noticed  when  one  speaks  in  an 
otherwise  empty  hall  or  in  a  cave.  The  highest  tem- 
peratiue  was  plus  4" ;  the  lowest  minus  5".  A  halo  wtis 
about  the  moon.  A  mirage  to  the  southward  of  an 
open  water  space  was  very  clearly  defined  in  the  sky. 

Sounded  at  noon  in  thirty  and  a  half  fathoms  (blue 
mud).    Ice  quiet  and  ship  remaining  immovable. 

The  usual  monthly  physical  examination  of  officers 
and  men  was  begun  to-day.     I  shall  notice  with  much 


■i 


^ 


■  I 


THE    DEAD  OF   WINTER. 


181) 


interest  the  result.  I  can  see  no  chanj^e  for  the  worse 
Iroui  ordinary  ol)sorvation.  We  have  at  times  been 
troubled  by  not  gettin<^  pure  snow  for  drinking  and 
cooking  purposes,  and  as  this  may  contiiuie  until  we 
have  a  heavy  snow-fall  (for  our  distilling  is  not  perfect) 
1  shall  connuence  to-morrow  the  issue  of  a  ration  of  one 
oiinie  lime  juice  to  every  olHcer  and  man  each  day. 

December  2d,  Tuesdrnj.  —  A  ([uiet  day.  We  had,  in 
addition  to  one  of  the  most  beautiful  moonlight  effects 
on  the  ice  I  had  ever  seen,  and  a  sky  perfectly  free 
from  clouds,  a  line  chance  to  witness  auroral  and  other 
eirects.  At  ten  P.  M.  a  lunar  rainbow  was  visible,  show- 
ing faintly  the  prismatic  colors.  Towards  eleven  r.  m. 
this  was  succeeded  by  a  lunar  halo  in  which  the  pris- 
matic colors  were  clearly  visible.  Then  flared  up  an 
auroral  arch,  extending  from  N.  to  N.  E.,  whose  crown 
was  04""  in  altitude,  and  this  arch,  as  if  by  magic,  ab- 
sorbed the  lunar  halo  or  caused  it  to  disappear.  Then 
suddenly  the  lunar  rainbow  reappeiired  and  arched 
alongside  the  auroral  arch  ;  and  linally,  at  11.50,  the  au- 
roral arch  became  an  auroral  curtain,  iloating  sheets  of 
trembling  ilame  down  to  the  hori/on.  Not  a  sound  was 
heard  during  all  this  display.  Add  to  this  picture  the 
ship  thrown  by  the  bright  moonlight  against  a  clear, 
dark  blue  background,  every  rope  and  spar  white  with 
frost,  and  a  level  iloe  surrounded  witli  a  frino:e  of  fan- 
tastically  shaped  hummocks,  and  it  woidd  make  a  study 
for  an  artist.  I  have  remarked  heretofore  that  these 
wonderful  auroral  disj)lays  are  forerunners  of  cold 
weather,  and  I  shall  watch  with  interest  the  result  of 
this  very  high  barometer  and  extraordinary  atmos- 
])heric  phenomena.  Very  probably  we  are  lulled  by  a 
false  sense  of  security  while  the  ice  is  so  quiet,  but  I 
shall  undress  before  retiring  to-night,  a  thing  I  have 
done  but  once  since  November  13th. 


N* 


.IM 


^1!  :.,ii 


r 


^^m 


IIH) 


niK    VOYAGK   OK    IIIK  .IKAN'NK  i  IK. 


Coiiiinoiiocd  the  issue  of  liiiio  juice  to-day.  For  the 
ollicers  it  is  placed  on  the  dinner-table  with  water  and 
su^ar,  and  each  one  sweetens  or  waters  it  as  he  pleases  ; 
with  the  men  it  is  served  out  by  Sweetnian,  and  an 
ounce  ol"  su^ar  is  furnished  at  the  same  time,  and  as 
the  men  <^o  to  dinner  by  watches  they  each  receive  and 
consiune  the  ration. 

Dcvcmhcr  ■)(/.  Weilatxthn/.  —  The  report  of  the  sur- 
geon's e.xaminiition  is  vi'ry  siitisfactory.  Of  the  eight 
olli(!ei's  the  condition  of  six  was  pronounced  excellent, 
and  of  the  reuiaiMiiig  two  (mysolf  and  the  doctor), 
good  ;  of  the  twenty-tliree  men,  twenty  excellent,  and 
three  good.  A  day  of  beautiful  weatlun-,  and  although 
we  hear  the  rumbling  of  the  ice  in  the  distance,  noth- 
ing occurs  around  us  to  disturb  us. 

December  Alh,  7'/iurfi(/ii'/.  —  Were  it  not  for  our  daily 
walking  exercise  of  two  hours  1  fear  we  should  stay;- 
nati?.  From  eleven  a.  ^i.  to  one  i'.  m.,  however,  all 
hands  are  sent  out  of  the  ship.  I'lie  ollicers  generally 
walk,  and  the  men  go  hunting,  without  success,  or  kick 
foot-balls.  We  have  a  line,  level,  smooth  place,  two 
hundred  and  forty  yards  in  length,  to  walk  on,  and  we 
manage  to  put  in  from  four  to  six  miles  in  the  two 
hours.  This  is  the  best  of  our  daylight,  for  it  is  quite 
dark  until  ten  in  tho  moi'uing  and  af^er  two  in  the  af- 
ternoon. Twilight  I  oes  not  make  any  supply  of  the 
absent  sun.  Danen'<  >wer  started  a  school  of  elemen- 
tary navigation  for  t    '  crew. 

Decemher  Gth,  S(tfi>  laij.  —  A  cold  spell  has  arrived, 
but  as  the  wonderful  luroral  display  was  on  the  2d,  1 
fear  it  is  stretching  '< .  too  much  to  make  a  connection 
with  the  cold  weather.  The  highest  temperature  to- 
day is  minus  11°,  and  the  lowest  minus  24°  (at  end  of 
day  with  N.  W.  wind).     Its  effect  on  the  ship  was  to 


THE  DEAD  OF  WINTEll. 


191 


For  the 
ator  and 
pleaHOS ; 

ami  an 
,  and  as 
L'ivo  and 

tlio  sur- 
lio  c'ii^ht 
xcellont, 
doctor), 
cnt,  and 
dtlioii<,di 
je,  notli- 

)iir  daily 

lid  stag- 

svof,  all 

onenilly 

or  kick 

ce,  two 

and  wo 

ho  two 

is  quite 

tlio  af- 

of  the 

lomcn- 

irrived, 
0  2(1,  1 
nection 
lire  to- 
end  ol" 
was  to 


keep  up  a  crackini^  at  ni|^ht  up  to  midnight,  causd  hy 
tlio  contraction  of  the  metal  I'astenings  and  consequent 
siiappiiiL^  of  the  wood.  We  have  noticed  heretofore 
consi(UM'able  hair  sticking  to  the  ice,  where  the  dogs  in 
lyiu"*  down  had  frozen  fast,  and  had  to  tear  tiiemselveH 
awiiv;  l>ut  this  afternoon  a  dog  stuck  so  fast  that  he 
had  actually  to  be  dug  out  with  a  shovel.  Pretty  cold 
wojither  ! 

JJeccnibcr  1th,  Sundaij.  —  The  cold  spell  continues, 
tlio  highest  temperature  being  minus  21';  the  lowest 
minus  25'.  Inspected  the  ship  at  eleven  A.  M.  To  my 
unpleasant  surprise  I  found  considerable  dampness  on 
the  berth  deck  at  the  forward  and  after  ends  over  the 
berths.  The  stove,  being  about  amidship,  was  sufficient 
to  keep  the  central  portion  of  the  deck  dry.  The  for- 
wiird  end  communicated  with  the  outer  air  by  means  of 
tlio  skylight  leading  to  the  spar  deck ;  which,  though 
<'ovoroil  by  the  tent  awning,  received  air  through  a 
hulo  in  the  ^aid  awning.  Tiie  after  end  communicating 
l)V  doors,  having  holes  in  the  lower  panels,  with  the 
galley  room,  receives  its  air  from  the  deck-house,  which 
is  kept  at  an  average  temperature  of  45°,  and  hence 
ought  not  to  be  as  damp  as  the  forward  end.  In  reality, 
however,  it  is  about  the  same.  Hence  I  conclude  that 
tlio  condensed  moisture  is  due  to  the  skylight  being 
opened  for  the  forward  end,  and  the  same  for  the  jifter 
end,  with  the  addition  of  the  spar  deck  (forward  of  the 
dock-house),  from  its  coldness  caused  by  contact  with 
the  outer  air,  serving  to  condense  the  warm  air  below. 
We  have  a  skylight  cover  made  of  galvanized  iron,  with 
a  funnel,  and  we  will  now  keep  that  in  place  steadily, 
to  see  if  the  moisture  will  collect  in  that  and  freeze,  as 
was  the  experience  of  Sir  John  Ross.  In  addition  we 
shall  also  cover  the  under  side  of  the  spar  deck  with 


1^ 


1 1'! 

V 

1   ■   I 

^1  i  \ 

l;i 

■  I 

i 


^i 


192 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


i   ' 


vti 


1 1 

'  If. 


felt  or  canvas,  or  carpet  over  these  forward  and  after 
berths  and  watch  tlie  effect. 

We  are  beginning  to  appreciate  other  discomforts. 
Our  distilling  with  the  Baxter  boiler  is  not  successful, 
the  resulting  water  being  too  salt  for  healthful  use. 
The  salt  is  due  to  two  causes :  first,  the  boiler  receives 
its  water  from  a  tank  which  is  filled  from  the  top  of  the 
deck-house  by  drawing  water  in  a  bucket  from  a  hole 
cut  in  the  ice  alongside  the  ship.  If  greatest  care  be 
not  exercised  (and  what  sailor  will  exercise  it  with  the 
thermometer  25°  below  zero  ?)  water  is  slopped  over  the 
'  distilling  coil,  also  on  top  of  the  house,  and  trickles 
down  into  the  water  barrel.  A  very  little  salt-water 
trickling  down  spoils  a  half  day's  distilling,  and  as  we 
are  able  to  distill  only  enough  to  meet  our  daily  wants 
(say  forty  gallons),  it  is  a  seric"  matter.  It  has  taken 
us  some  days  to  discover  that  trouble,  and  now  we  will 
remedy  it  by  rigging  a  pan  to  catch  drip.  Second,  the 
boiler  is  so  shallow  that  when  the  pump  is  started  to 
feed  it.  if  the  pump  by  accident  be  started  quickly,  the 
pressure  in  the  steam  space  is  so  suddenly  relieved  that 
the  water  bubbles  up  and  goes  over  salt  to  the  water 
barrel  through  the  coil.  The  same  effect  is  caused  by 
admitting  too  much  steam  into  the  coil ;  and  if  we  do 
not  admit  enough,  the  coil  freezes  up  and  bursts,  as  it 
has  done  several  times.  If  we  bring  the  coil  down 
inside  the  deck-house,  the  temperature  will  not  be  low 
enough  to  condense  enough  steam  for  our  daily  use, 
and  there  we  are.  We  have  almost  scraped  the  floes 
bare  to  get  snow  enough  to  melt  for  washing  purposes. 
The  resulting  water  is  very  salt,  and  it  was  the  use  of 
that  water  which  brought  on  diarrhoea.  However,  Mel- 
ville has  set  to  work  to  improve  the  distiller,  and  he 
rarely  misses  a  complete  success. 


h 


md  after 

comforts. 

iccessful, 

iful  use. 

receives 

op  of  the 

m  a  hole 

t  care  be 

with  the 

over  the 

trickles 

ilt-water 

nd  as  we 

\y  wants 

as  taken 

r  we  will 

ond,  the 

arted  to 

k]y,  the 

ved  that 

le  water 

used  by 

f  we  do 

jits,  as  it 

il  down 

;  be  low 

ily  use, 

he  floes 

H'poses. 

use  of 

jr,  Mel- 

aud  he 


THE  DEAD  OF  WINTER. 


193 


Wo  also  begin  to  feel  the  darkness.  Four  hours'  day- 
liuht  is  not  uuilIi.  We  have  not  even  the  moon  now 
to  bear  us  company.  We  do  not  suffer  of  course,  and 
1  notice  no  diminution  of  appetite.  Everybody  rallies 
around  the  tal)k'  at  meal  times,  and  is  as  cheerful  as 
usual.  Cut  it  is  unnatural  for  us  to  have  this  enforced 
close  companionship,  and  we  seem  to  get  in  each  other's 
\va^■.  We  are  warm  and  comfortable,  but  we  would 
like  to  be  able  to  go  "  somewheres."  We  cannot  go 
out  and  walk  in  the  dark  with  any  object  except  exer- 
cise, and  our  two  hours'  walking  match  from  eleven 
to  one  seems  to  supply  enough  of  that.  We  read  and 
smoke,  and  growl  at  the  stove  when  it  does  not  throw 
out  enough  heat,  or  at  the  cabin  door  when  it  lets  in 
too  much  cold.  The  uncertainty  of  our  remaining 
([uiet  in  the  ice  for  an  hour  at  a  time  prevents  the  erec- 
tion of  our  observatory,  and  the  taking  of  interesting 
astronomical  and  magnetic  observations.  We  are  able 
to  make  our  hourly  meteorological  observations  only. 
Our  suspicions  of  the  moving  of  the  ice  seem  to  have 
conuuunicated  themselves  to  the  dogs,  who  come  on 
board  regularly  to  sleep ;  in  fact  some  of  them  march 
up  the  gang-plank  as  methodically  as  we  do  when  it 
strikes  two  bells.  A  few  of  them,  however,  remain  on 
the  ice  to  make  us  chase  them,  when  the  ice  breaks  up, 
and  we  are  on  the  anxious  seat. 

We  have  had  no  bear  excitements  for  some  time. 
Fox  tracks  are  plentiful,  but  no  foxes  have  as  yet  been 
seen.  Occasionally  our  hunters  report  having  seen 
blood  where  a  bear  has  caught  a  seal  and  eaten  him  : 
and  bear  tracks  are  followed  up  until  daylight  fails,  and 
the  chase  must  end.  From  ten  r.  m.  to  midnight  we 
had  a  beautiful  auroral  display  in  the  form  of  loops. 

December  St/i,  Momhaj.  —  1  am  afraid  we  are  on  the 

13 


1 

1 

1.  'X 

)i  , 

s 

: 

1 

\h 

I. 


111 


it 


i 


"11 


lllii 


n.    '■ 

r, 

•  i'    ; 

■.\   ■ 


I '       ' 


194 


THE   VOYAGE   OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


I 


i    I 


verge  of  another  ice  disturbance,  for  at  times  during 
the  day  the  ice  to  the  N.  E.  of  us,  and  distant  half  a 
mile,  began  to  move  with  its  usual  accompaniment  of 
groans  and  shrieks  while  under  pressure. 

December  dth,  Tuesday.  —  A  south  southeast  gale  all 
day.    No  movement  to  the  ice. 

There  is  a  wonderful  sameness  to  our  daily  life,  and 
I  can  as  yet  devise  no  efficient  way  of  changing  the 
monotony.  We  are  continually  standing  by  for  a  move- 
ment to  the  ice  with  everything  ready  for  an  emergency. 
Knapsacks  at  hand,  sledges  packed,  boats  ready,  medi- 
cines and  instriunents,  arms  and  ammunition,  sledge 
parties  all  told  oft' ;  all  these  things  keep  us  in  a  posi- 
tion of  unrest  and  uncertainty.  We  seem  to  feel  as  if 
we  were  living  on  the  edge  of  a  crater.  Under  the 
circumstances  we  can  do  nothing  but  wait,  thankful 
each  morning  that  we  are  no  worse  off  than  we  were 
the  night  before,  and  yet  anxious  as  to  what  the  day 
may  bring  forth.  Were  we  in  a  harbor  and  could  con- 
sider the  ship  a  fixture  until  spring,  we  should  hardly 
feel  the  winter  in  the  many  occupations  and  amuse- 
ments we  should  have,  but  here  adrift  in  the  pack  we 
can  only  wait  and  watch. 

The  necessary  and  inevitable  refuse  of  the  ship  has 
rendered  our  surroundings  not  at  all  pleasant  to  con- 
template. If  we  could  only  have  snow,  this  might  be 
covered  and  kept  out  of  sight,  but  I  begin  to  believe 
snow  never  falls  here.  Althou<>;h  I  ouy-ht  to  be  ijjlad 
that  it  is  all  outside  of  the  ship  instead  of  inside,  I  can- 
not help  complaining  of  the  lack  of  cleanliness  of  our 
surroundings. 

Melville  has  made  a  complete  success  of  the  distiller, 
and  now  we  get  our  water  pure.  But  it  takes  two 
pounds  of  coal  for  every  gallon  of  water,  and  that  ex- 


1 


liiJ  l^il 


THE  DEAD  OF   WINTER. 


es  durinsr 
mt  half  a 
niment  of 

it  gale  all 

life,  and 
iging  the 
r  a  move- 
lergency. 
Ij,  medi- 
1,  sledge 
n  a  posi- 
feel  as  if 
ider  the 
thankful 
we  were 
the  day 
uld  con- 
hardly 
amuse- 
lack  we 

hip  has 
to  con- 
ight  be 
believe 
)e  glad 
,  I  can- 
of  our 

istiller, 

s   two 

lat  ex- 


195 
Snow, 


::!i| 


penditure  will  ruin  us  if  we  have  to  keep  it  up. 
snow  is  what  we  want. 

Tiie  sheet-iron  cover  to  the  forward  skylight,  though 
acting  as  a  partial  condenser  for  the  berth  deck,  does 
not  keep  it  dry,  and  we  shall  have  to  resort  to  extra 
felting. 

December  10th.  Wednesday.  —  A  very  curious  addi- 
tion was  made  to-day  to  our  naturalist's  collection  in 
the  shape  of  the  skull  (?)  and  bones  of  codfish.  These 
bones  were  picked  up  by  the  cabin  steward  in  his  walk 
to-day,  between  eleven  and  one,  out  of  a  large  heap  of 
similar  bones,  a  couple  of  miles  froui  the  ship.  They 
are  probably  the  relics  of  some  successful  fishing  on  the 
part  of  a  bear  or  of  a  fox.  Experimented  to-day  with 
Snellen's  types,  to  get  an  idea  of  the  diminution  of 
light.  At  noon  the  type  marked  D  =  9,  which,  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  should  have  been  seen  at  thirty 
feet,  was  readable  at  but  twenty  feet.  Approximately, 
therefore,  we  have  twenty  thirtieths  or  two  thirds  of 
full  daylight  at  noon. 

1  had  placed  to-day  a  series  of  thermometers  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  ship,  and  commenced  keeping  a 
record  of  the  temperatures ;  showing  the  temperatures 
of  the  living  quarters,  of  the  reservoirs  from  which  air 
is  received  in  them,  and  of  the  open  air.  For  instance, 
the  temperature  of  the  berth  deck  at  ten  r.  m.  was 
68°,  the  old  galley-room  45°,  the  deck-house  49°,  the 
cabin  porch  14°,  the  cabin  51°,  the  open  air  7°. 

December  11th,  Thursday.  —  The  situation  this  morn- 
ing seemed  to  promise  a  repetition  of  our  exciting 
times.  Daylight  showed  a  crack  in  the  ice  ahead  of 
and  nearly  alongside  the  ship,  extending  from  S.  W.  to 
N.  E.  The  opening  was  made  so  quietly  that  the 
watch   did    not   hear   any  moveuient   beyond  a  light 


% 


M  f 


.:  '  J 


''  t  t 


ts ' 


\   i' 


Hi 


I      I 


19t) 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNET'lE. 


shock  at  8,40.  At  ten  a.  m.  there  it  was  however,  and 
by  eleven  it  had  opened  out  to  a  width  of  six  feet, 
affording  us  an  opportunity  of  measuring  the  growth 
of  the  ice  since  November  25th,  the  time  at  which  we 
were  squeezed  out  into  what  was  then  open  water. 
By  .actual  measurement  to-day  we  find  the  thickness 
of  the  ice  to  be  twenty  inches,  and  that  is  direct  freez- 
ing. For  some  reason  the  ice  immediately  surround- 
ing the  ship  was  not  broken  adrift,  wor  even  badly 
cracked  on  the  starboard  side  of  us  (ship  heading  S. 
S.  W.  true).  At  eleven  movement  commenced.  The 
floe  in  which  the  ship  lay  moved  to  the  north  ward- 
where  it  was  broken  on  its  edges  by  coming  in  contact 
with  heavier  tloes,  and  remained  comparatively  motion- 
less, after  shortening  our  two  hundred  and  forty  yard 
w^alk  by  some  forty  yards.  The  ice  on  our  port  hand 
then  got  under  way  and  moved  along  slowly,  like  a  pan- 
orama, luitil  it  had  proceeded  about  two  hundred  yards 
to  N.  E.,  and  then  it  stopped  ;  the  opening  six  feet 
wide  began  to  close,  and  in  a  few  hours  everything  was 
quiet  again,  except  an  occasional  suppressed  shriek  in- 
dicating pressure.  The  ship  was  not  affected  in  the 
slightest  degree.  While  looking  around  for  a  cause  for 
this  movement  we  observed  the  clouds  moving  rapidly 
from  the  S.  W.,  preceded  by  a  scud,  indicating  clearly 
a  S.  W.  gale.  The  barometer  had  fallen  to  29.50, 
and  up  to  eleven  a.  m.  we  had  been  having  six  and 
eight  mile  winds  from  the  S.  S.  E.  and  8.  At  eleven 
the  wind  jumped  suddenly  to  S.  W..  and  commenced 
to  ])ipe  up.  Beginning  with  eight  miles,  it  reached  by 
eight  p.  M.  a  velocity  of  25.5  miles,  blowing  at  times  in 
luiavy  squalls  at  the  rate  of,  at  least,  forty  miles  ])cr 
hour.  At  midnight  it  went  to  W.,  and  was  blowing 
twenty-one  miles  an  hour.     The  barometer  rose  with 


ti^M^liihnBes 


gggteBtnrytrtn'TWWiWiiacri 


THE  DEAD  OF   WINTER. 


197 


3V(3r,  and 
>^ix  feet, 
gi'owth 
^'liieli  we 
1   water, 
liickness 
ct  JVeoz- 
utouik]- 
n  badly 
id  ill  (T  ;S. 

1.     Tlie 

til  ward- 
con  tact 

iiiotion- 

'J  jni'd 
t  hand 
a  pan- 
yards 

X  feet 

ig  was 

iek  in- 

in  the 

ise  for 

!ipidly 

1  early 

29.50, 

:  and 

leven 

iiiced 

Ml  by 

es  in 

!  per 

^vin- 

with 


the  chano'e  of  wind  to  S.  W.,  and  at  midnight  read 
1>').80.  The  temperature,  which  had  gone  up  to  plus 
1(5°  fell  rapidly  9°  in  one  hour,  and  at  midnight  was 
minus  8". 

At  eleven  p.  m.  we  had  a  very  line  auroral  display. 
A  wave  of  light  crossed  the  zenith  from  the  E.  to 
the  W.  horizon  which  pulsed  regularly  in  its  transit, 
waving  about,  however,  in  its  pulsations,  like  a  long 
streamer  of  bunting  let  go  in  a  fresh  wind.  It  is  very 
dilHcult  to  give  a  satisfactory  description  of  these 
things,  and  impossible  to  make  a  fair  picture  of  them, 
lor  no  picture  can  show  pulsations  of  waving  light.  It 
rcipiires  actual  sight  to  realize  their  appearance.  I 
have  not  been  able  thus  far  to  connect  their  appear- 
ance or  non-appearance  with  any  meteorological  phe- 
nomenon, or  with  any  other  unusual  occurrence. 

Decemher  ISth,  Saturday.  —  We  have  been  trying 
regularly  to  get  sights  to  determine  our  position,  but 
are  prevented  by  the  almost  perpetual  haze  that  inter- 
venes, making  a  reflection  in  the  mercury  of  the  arti- 
licial  horizon  impossible.  In  the  absence  of  the  moon 
we  have  to  fall  back  upon  Suinners  by  stars.  Latitude 
l)y  Polaris  is  out  of  our  reach  on  account  of  its  great 
altitude  and  the  impossibility  of  getting  it  with  sextant 
and  artificial  horizon. 

Decemher  14//<,  Sunday.  —  A  variety  ol"  winds  and 
weather  to-day.  At  eleven  a.  ai.  made  the  usual  Sun- 
day inspection.  Every  part  of  the  ship  was  in  as  good 
order  and  condition  as  can  be  expected  where  our 
cleaning  is  limited  to  scraping  and  an  occasional  wijiing 
up  with  cloths  and  warm  water.  As  to  dampness  there 
is  cause  for  complaint.  The  cabin  and  ward-room  are 
dry  and  comfortable,  the  deck-house  is  damp,  and  in 
places  wet  from  the  tracking  in  of  slush  and  dirt  from 


'til 


r     ■ 


ill  s  ] 


:■[  .1 


198 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


the  ice  and  its  melting  by  the  heat  of  the  Baxter  boiler, 
and  also  from  the  moisture  created  while  the  distilling 
is  going  on,  and  the  berth  deck  is  damp  to  a  slight  de- 
gree on  the  beams  and  ship's  side  in  the  wake  of  the 
forward  and  after  bertlis,  as  described  in  my  remarks 
of  last  Sunday.  Felt  and  canvas  have  been  used  freely 
during  the  week  to  try  to  stop  this  dampness,  but  it 
still  exists,  .and  I  do  not  think  any  means  would  be 
effectual  short  of  building  a  house  over  all  the  deck, 
chock  forward  to  the  bows.  To  be  sure  we  are  troubled 
with  dampness  to  the  same  extent  as  previous  expedi- 
tions, but  then  we  have  not  had  as  yet  such  extremely 
low  temperatures.  We  are  able  to  keep  all  the  slop  of 
washing  clothes  and  persons  clear  of  the  living  f^'^ck 
by  having  all  that  done  in  the  deck-house ;  and  as  the 
men  do  not  enter  the  berth  deck  directly  from  the 
open  air,  we  have  no  cold  air  rushing  in  and  being 
spread  around.  As  all  work  is  done  in  this  deck-house, 
and  the  men's  fur  clothing  and  knapsacks  are  kept 
there,  there  is  no  room  occupied  on  the  berth  deck 
save  for  eating  and  sleeping  purposes;  and  as  the  car- 
bonic acid  estimates  are  not  now  extremely  bad,  we 
can  put  down  the  slight  drip  as  the  only  objectionable 
feature  as  yet  to  our  winter  experience,  so  far  as  gen- 
eral health  and  comfort  are  concerned. 

If  life  within  the  Arctic  circle  were  perfect  comfort, 
everybody  would  be  coming  here.  We  must  be  thank- 
ful that  our  discomforts  are  no  greater.  Everybody  is 
in  good  health  and  in  good  spirits.  There  are  individ- 
ual cases  of  feeling  the  time  hang  heavily,  and  of  be- 
ing mentally  "  out  of  sorts ; "  but  this  arises,  I  fancy, 
from  the  non  -  realization  of  an  impossible  scheme  of 
Arctic  cruising  and  life  rather  than  from  any  effect  on 
the  general  health.    Excepting  Mr.  Dunbar  and  Ninde- 


THE  DEAD  OF   WINTER. 


199 


nicann  no  one  has  passed  a  winter  in  the  Arctic  before. 
Mr.  Dunbar's  experience  has  been  limited  to  a  winter 
ill  Cumberland  Gulf,  where  his  ship  was  in  a  snug  har- 
bor, and  communication  could  be  had  and  was  had  with 
tlie  natives.  Nindemann's  experience  covers  one  win- 
ter in  the  Polaris  in  Thank  God  Harbor,  and  his  terri- 
ble winter-drift  on  the  ice-tloe  and  miraculous  rescue. 
For  the  rest  of  us  it  is  our  first  experience ;  and  when 
we  add  to  our  wintering  in  the  pack,  with  all  its  lui- 
certainties  and  terrors,  the  knowledge  that  we  attained 
no  high  latitude  our  first  season,  made  no  discoveries, 
so  far  as  we  know  have  made  no  useful  additions  to 
scientific  knowledge,  we  cannot  help  feeling  that  we 
are  doing  nothing  toward  the  object  of  the  expedition, 
and  are  consuming  provisions,  wearing  out  clothing, 
and  burning  coal  to  no  purpose.  However  we  cannot 
tell  what  may  be  in  store  for  us,  and  in  our  ignorance 
it  is  better  to  hope  for  good  results  than  to  pass  our 
lives  in  fearing  bad  ones. 

New  ice  has  formed  twenty  inches  in  thickness 
around  us,  and  salt  has  been  deposited  on  its  surface 
by  crystallization.  What  the  certain  thickness  may  be 
at  which  the  ice  is  almost  free  from  salt  I  know  not, 
and  Weyprecht  does  not  say.  But  with  a  saw  we  cut 
from  a  thickness  of  sixteen  inches  of  ice  four  pieces, 
each  four  inches  thick,  in  regular  succession,  melted 
the  ice,  and  the  resulting  water  was  so  salt  as  to  be 
unfit  for  use.  I  will  try  this  experiment  with  an  eight 
foot  floe  in  a  few  days,  and  inscribe  the  result  in  this 
record.  Without  evaporating  the  water,  and  weighing 
the  remaining  salt,  I  could  not  say  what  the  exact  de- 
grees of  difference  were,  if  any,  between  the  several 
four  inch  layers ;  but  by  the  nitrate  of  silver  test  the 
water  turned  white  in  each  case  to  the  same  degree, 


lil 

1^ 

t 

;, 

1 

,i 

, 

il.r 


>j| 


Ml 


H 


200 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANXETTE. 


!         I 


and  the  bottom  layer  made  water  as  unlit  to  drink  as 
did  the  surface  layer  containing  the  crystallized  salt. 

JJecemher  15//*,  Monday.  —  An  mieventful  day.  The 
Snellen  type  test  seems  not  a  good  way  to  obtain  even 
a  comparative  record  of  the  intensity  of  our  daylight ; 
for  whereas  we  coidd  read  a  certain  kind  of  type  at  a 
distance  of  twenty  feet  on  the  lOtli  inst.,  we  can  to- 
day read  the  same  type  twenty-seven  feet,  and  yet 
the  circumstances  of  sky  and  weather  seem  exactly  the 
same. 

December  16//*,  Tuesday.  — As  far  as  it  is  possible  to 
do  so,  we  are  beginning  to  have  some  confidence  in  the 
stability  of  our  position.  We  have  had  such  a  quiet 
time  with  the  ice  lately  that  we  feel  quite  confident  and 
reassured.  So  much  so  that  we  contemplate  neither  a 
breaking  up  of  the  ice  nor  any  treachery  while  we  are 
walking  over  it.  As  if  to  show  us,  however,  how  par- 
ticularly deceitful  our  surroundings  are,  Collins  and  two 
men  broke  through  the  ice  to-day  at  different  times 
and  places  within  a  radius  of  three  hundred  yards  from 
the  ship.  No  harm  resulted  beyond  a  ducking,  from 
thus  involuntarily  taking  the  temperature  of  the  sur- 
face water.  Highest  temperature,  minus  11°,  lowest 
minus  26°  (our  lowest  thus  far). 

December  18//*,  Thursday.  —  This  morning  we  dis- 
cover a  large  opening  in  the  ice  about  five  hundred 
yards  to  the  noi-thvvard  of  the  ship,  about  one  quarter 
of  a  mile  in  width  and  extending  east  and  west.  This 
is  brinj>;ing  the  uneasiness  close  home. 

At  five  P.  M.,  by  a  meridian  altitude  of  the  moon  and 
an  altitude  of  Mars,  Danenhowor  establishes  our  posi- 
tion in  lat.  72°  27'  N.,  long.  178°  23'  W.,  showing  a 
drift  of  eight  miles  to  the  W.  21°  S.  since  December 
2d.  We  seem  to  be,  therefore,  in  a  comparatively  quiet 
part  of  the  ocean. 


I  I 


THE  DEAD  OF  AV INTER. 


201 


December  20th,  Saturday.  —  Measured  the  thickness 
ol'  the  ice  again  to-day.  The  growth  of  the  new  for- 
mation, from  ^^'ovember  25th  to  December  11th,  was 
twenty  inches  ;  to-day  the  same  ice  measured  in  the 
hre-liole  L  thirty  inches,  showing  an  increase  of  ten 
inches  in  ten  days. 

This  afternoon  we  had  a  slight  crashing  and  moving 
of  ice  to  the  northward  of  us,  but  it  did  not  last  very 
long  and  gave  us  no  concern. 

jS'indemann  brought  in  a  seal  to  add  to  our  delicacies. 

December  21st,  Sunday.  —  A  blowy  day. 

December  22d,  Monday.  —  The  shortest  day  in  the 
year.  Although  we  cannot  say,  "  Now  is  the  winter 
of  our  discontent  made  glorious  summer,"  we  can  say 
that  om-  Arctic  night  is  half  gone,  and  that  we  shall 
now  have  an  increasing  light  to  contemplate  instead  of 
a  failing  one.  The  earliest  sign  of  a  gleam  of  daylight 
was  at  8.40  A.  M.,  but  of  course  it  was  nothing  to  speak 
of.  At  9.15  one  could  be  sure  that  there  was  a  sun 
somewhere  ;  at  twelve  that  we  had  daylight  to,  and 
60°  beyond,  the  zenith  to  the  northward ;  at  one  that 
day  was  fading ;  at  three  it  had  faded,  while  at  3.40 
not  a  speck  of  twilight  was  left  to  us.  At  noon  Snel- 
len's types,  which  are  ordinarily  read  at  thirty  feet 
distance,  were  distinguishable  at  twenty-three  feet ; 
perfectly  favorable  conditions  of  atmosphere,  the  types 
held  towards  the  south.  Though  this  is  but  an  approx- 
imation toward  measuring  the  amount  of  twilight,  I 
know  of  no  better.  As  we  had  the  bright  light  of  a 
moon  nine  days  old,  and  18°  in  N.  declination,  our  light 
was  mixed  even  as  late  as  an  hour  before  and  as  early 
as  an  hour  after  noon.  But  that  the  daylight  was 
stronger  than  the  moonlight  was  proven  by  the  fact 
that,  in  walking,  our  shadows  were  thrown  from  the 


1 

i 

i 

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fH 

f 

T 

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1 

I  ■■■. 


III 


y: 


■a; 
HI 


i 


202 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNE! TE. 


diiyliglit  and  not  from  the  moonlight.  Well,  here  we 
are  in  the  pjiek.  So  far,  with  two  exceptions,  we  are 
in  good  health.  The  two  exceptions  are  Mr.  Danen- 
hower  and  Mr.  Dunbar.  Mr.  Danenhower  has  an  in- 
tlannnatory  trouble  with  his  left  eye,  which  obliges  him 
to  keep  it  blinded,  but  is  of  no  very  serious  character. 
Mr.  Dunbar  has  caught  a  Ijad  cold  which  has  run  him 
down  considerably,  .and  as  he  says  he  never  was  sick 
before  it  seems  to  depress  his  spirits  to  be  ailing  now. 
Some  of  us  are  troubled  with  extreme  sleeplessness, 
myself,  probably,  worst  of  all,  or,  at  least,  as  badly. 
My  work  not  being  over  until  one  a.  m.,  -at  which  time 
I  retire,  I  rarely  get  asleep  l)efore  3.30,  and  sometimes 
not  until  four  a.  m.  I  avoid  napping  as  a  rule  during 
the  day,  but  it  seems  to  make  no  difference.  The  lack 
of  sufficient  exercise  may  be  the  cause  of  our  wakeful- 
ness. As  an  electrical  celebration  of  the  shortest  day 
in  the  year,  we  had  a  display  of  auroras  far  exceeding 
in  quantity,  and,  perhaps,  also  in  quality  any  previous 
efforts  in  that  line. 

December  2Sd,  Tuesday.  —  The  high  winds  of  the 
last  few  days  having  accumulated  some  snow  near  us 
we  set  to  Avork  to-day  banking  it  up  against  the  ship's 
side,  with  the  hope  of  adding  to  her  warmth  and  dimin- 
ishing the  d.ampness  of  the  berth  deck. 

December  2ith,  Wednesday.  —  A  day  of  high  winds, 
cloudy  and  unpleasant  weather,  and  occasional  flurries 
of  very  fine  snow. 

Christmas  Eve.  Our  surroundings  are  not  of  the  most 
cheerful  character,  and  our  ship  is  not  large  enough 
to  make  any  effort  at  theatricals  possible.  A  feeble 
attempt  at  minstrels  was  in  contemplation  during  the 
past  week,  but  it  has  not  yet  matured.  In  order  that 
some    little    conviviality  and    good    feeling  might   be 


I   1 3 


r 


THE  DEAD  OF   WINTEU. 


203 


occasioned  or  encouraged,  I  served  out  three  quarts  of 
wliiskey  among  the  men  in  the  evening,  which  seemed 
acceptable,  and  Melville  mixed  a  line  compound  from 
Irish  whiskey  presented  by  Paymaster  Cochran  before 
we  left,  and  with  one  exception  we  joined  aft  in  drink- 
iiio-  to  a  merry  Christmas  to  absent  ones  and  to  the 
health  of  Cochran.  Danenhower  proposed  and  we 
drank  to  the  health  and  success  of  "  our  old  shipmates  " 
(Mrs.  De  Long  and  8ylvie),  and  so  in  the  interchange 
of  yarns  and  recollections  we  welcomed  in  the  Christ- 
mas Day  with  the  hoj)e  that  at  its  next  coming  we 
should  be  at  least  no  worse  off. 

Christmas,  December  2oth,  Thitrsdai/.  —  A  cloudy, 
dark,  and  disagreeable  day,  with  high  winds  and  light 
snow.  The  winds  veer  and  haul  between  E.  N.  E.  and 
S.  E.,  with  velocities  ranging  from  eighteen  to  twenty- 
six  miles  an  hour,  temperature  rises  from  minus  2'^  to 
plus  T,  sounduigs  at  noon  in  thirty-one  fathoms,  indi- 
cate drift  to  W.  S.  W.  While  the  winds  were  blowing 
at  midnight  from  S.  E.,  the  clouds,  cirro-cumulus,  were 
driving  across  the  moon's  face  from  the  S.  W.  The 
same  occurrence  was  noticed  by  me  last  night  and  the 
night  before. 

Christmas  Day  !  This  is  the  dreariest  day  I  have  ever 
experienced  in  my  life,  and  it  is  certainly  passed  in  the 
dreariest  part  of  the  world.  And  yet  we  (or  rather  I) 
ought  not  to  complain,  for  it  is  something  to  have  had 
no  serious  mishap  up  to  this  time.  We  tried  to  be  jolly, 
but  did  not  make  any  grand  success  of  it  until  dinner 
time,  when  fore  and  aft  we  had  such  a  grand  banquet 
that  we  were  tor  a  time  lifted  out  of  and  beyond  the 
contemplation  of  our  surroundings.  We  should  have 
been  comparatively  happy  were  it  not  that  one  of  our 
mess  did  not  appear  at  the  dinner  table.     At  four  p.  m. 


I.  .':i 


IS 


'II 


:'' ;  ,•' 


114 


204 


TIIK    VOVACK  OF  TIIK  .IKAXNETTE. 


I 


tlio  tTONV,  hciidt'd  hy  IJoiitswuiii  Cole,  ciiino  aft  into  the 
cubin  to  wish  us  nil  a  inurry  Christmas,  and  to  invito  us 
into  tlio  dei'i\-h()Uso  to  hear  a  httlo  niusic.  We  tliaukod 
thoin  lor  tiieir  courtesy  and  went  to  tlie  deek-liouse, 
wiiere  tliey  phiyed  music,  sang-  songs,  iind  Alexey  gave 
us  a  native  dance.  At  all  events  the  crew  seemed  to 
have  a  merry  Christmas. 

Dcci'inber  2{\/h,  Friday. —  At  10.15  P.  M.  a  sharp 
crack  was  heard  on  our  starboard  side,  and  on  going 
on  deck  to  look  for  a  cause  ojjen  water  was  discerned 
aheiid  and  on  our  port  side  to  the  eastward  about  throe 
hundred  yards  distant.     I  went  out  to  it  and  found  that 


-'"^7\-.^'">:k^^# 


A  Peculiar  Ice  Form. 


the  ice  had  opened  into  a  chaim'^l  about  twelve  feet 
wide,  extending  for  about  a  mile  north  and  south,  and 
curving  around  our  bow  to  some  lew  ice  made  over  an 
opening  of  yesterday.  I  must  now  believe  that  this 
ocean  is  subject  to  tidal  action,  for  as  all  our  pressures 
have  been  at  or  about  the  times  of  full  and  new  moon 
(full  moon,  October  29th ;  new,  November  13th ;  full, 
November  28th  ;  new,  December  12th  ;  full,  December 
28th),  they  can  be  traced  to  the  greater  movement  due 
to  the  spring  tides,  as  suggested  by  Chipp,  on  October 
31st. 


\jb 


THE   DEAD  OF  WINTER. 


205 


December  21th,  Sattmlay.  —  At  live  a.  m.,  a  light 
halo  with  prismatic  colors;  at  six,  a  lunar  circle;  at 
seven,  a  faint  aurora  to  N.  E. ;  at  eight,  a  halo.  At 
11. .'JO  A,  M.  there  was  a  slight  movenieut  to  the  ice  be- 
yond and  along  the  opening  of  yesterday. 

December  28^/i,  Sunday. — From  5.10  to  5.25  a.  m. 
there  was  a  slight  eclipse  of  a  portion  of  the  moon's 
lower  limb.  If  we  had  been  able  to  have  our  observa- 
tory in  working  order  on  shore  we  might  have  made 
exact  observations  of  this  occurrence.  But  as  we  are 
in  our  uncertain  state  in  the  ice-pack,  we  can  do  no 
more  than  note  the  fact  of  an  eclipse  having  taken 
place.  At  one  p.  m.,  held  divine  service,  only  four  be- 
side myself  attending. 

In  the  afternoon  one  of  our  dog.s  began  to  act  queerly, 
seemingly  bereft  of  all  power  of  motion.  Supposing  that 
he  might  by  some  chance  have  become  frozen  we  had 
him  carried  on  board  and  laid  on  felt  in  the  deck-house. 
He  still  declined  to  make  any  exertion,  and  his  jaw.s 
were  locked  together,  while  his  eyes  were  fixed  and 
expressionless.  In  the  evening  the  doctor  injected 
ammonia  into  him  with  small  effect. 

December  2Wi,  Monday.  —  A  slight  grinding  move- 
ment in  the  neighborhood  of  the  late  opening  of  the 
ice  to  the  eastward  at  10.10  P.  m.  At  noon  there  was 
something  appearing  very  much  like  laud  between 
S.  by  W.  and  a  half'  W.  and  S.  W.  and  a  half  W.  We 
believed  that  we  saw  an  increase  in  the  amount  of  day- 
light already  at  noon.  To-day  the  sky  had  quite  a  rosy 
tinge  at  the  southern  horizon,  and  the  light  was  almost 
sufficient  to  have  an  effect  on  the  sky  to  the  northern 
horizon.  A  full  moon,  nearly  on  the  horizon,  at  its 
northern  culmination,  made  it  impossible  to  say  where 
the  daylight  ended  and  the  moonlight  began. 


m 


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THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


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The  (log  mentioned  as  being  sick  uied  during  the 
night,  and  we  have  now  but  thirty-eight  left,  and  one 
of  these  is  dying  slowly,  too,  having  been  bitten  through 
the  nose  in  a  fight  at  St.  Michael's.  Alexey  opened  the 
dead  dog,  and  found  in  his  stomach  a  wad  of  oakum  as 
big  as  my  fist,  which  of  course  caused  his  death.  These 
dogs  will  eat  anything,  and  in  spite  of  all  attempts  to 
prevent  them.  They  are  given  a  dried  fish  each  daily, 
but  all  the  same  are  prowling  around  day  and  night 
among  empty  meat  cans  and  ash  heaps,  and  making  a 
rush  every  time  a  pan  of  dish  water  even  is  thrown 
over  the  side. 

December  Slst,  Wednesday.  —  The  last  day  of  the 
year  is,  so  far  as  weather  is  concerned,  dull  and  gloomy. 
The  earliest  trace  of  dawn  occurred  at  8.16  a.  m.  Occa- 
sional flurries  of  snow,  very  fine  and  driving,  seem  to 
promise  us  some  relief  from  our  expenditure  of  fuel  in 
distilling,  but  as  soon  as  we  begin  to  think  it  really  will 
snow,  the  snow  flurries  cease. 

Danenhower  was  placed  on  the  sick  list  to-day,  his 
eye  having  regularly  broken  down. 

To  give  an  impetus  to  the  social  feeling  in  seeing  the 
old  year  out  and  the  new  year  in,  I  sent  four  quarts  of 
brandy  forward  for  the  crew,  while  Melville  heated  the 
water  for  a  savory  compound  aft,  and  as  midnight  ap- 
proached our  little  colony  of  thirty-three  people  waited 
for  the  sound  of  the  .ship's  bell  to  sjiy  good-by  to  the 
year  1879,  and  welcome  to  the  year  1880. 

lSHO,Jam(ar)/  Isf,  Thursdaij.  —  The  birth  of  the  new 
year  was  a'Miounced  by  the  rapid  ringing  of  the  ship's 
bell  by  the  man  on  watch,  and  the  crew,  all  assembled 
on  the  quarter  deck,  gave  three  cheers  for  the  "  Jean- 
nette,"  and  sent  a  deputation  of  two  men  into  the  cabin 
to  wish  us  all  a  happy  New  Year.     The  year  opened 


THE   DEAD  OF   WINTER. 


207 


mm 


rU'ar  ami  pleasant.  The  temperature  l)e<i:an  at  minu.s 
24:  ,  but  at  four  A.  M.  it  dropped  .suddenly  to  niinuM  oO", 
and  by  eleven  A.  M.  it  had  reached  niinns  o9%  running 
alonf  at  that  steadily  until  midnight,  when  it  reached 
minus  .^D.S".  The  temperature  was  probably  lower,  but 
the  mercurial  thermometers  began  to  freeze,  and  the 
s])ir"t  thermometers  did  not  record  accurately  at  this 

point. 

At  three  A.  M.  we  had  a  lunar  circle  showing  faint 
mock  moons,  the  lowest  mock  moon  very  bright. 
Tln'ouo-h  the  real  and  two  lateral  mock  moons  a  curved 
lini'  ])assed  toward  the  horizon.  At  nine  p.  m.  a  blood- 
red  halo  around  the  moon.  Early  daylight  at  8.14  A.M. 
h>oun(k'd  at  noon  in  30  V  fathoms.  Owing  to  the  low 
tem))erature  and  strong  wind  blowing,  I  suspended  for 
the  (lay  the  operation  of  my  regulation  making  every- 
body leave  the  ship  and  exercise  on  the  ice  from  eleven 
A.  -M.  to  one  p.  M. 

At  tiirce  p.  >r.  everybody  sat  down  to  a  capital  din- 
ner, and  afterward  we  got  ready  for  the  minstrel  per- 
formance in  the  evening.  Our  men  had  rallied  from 
their  failure  to  get  up  one  for  Christmas,,  and  seemed 
determined  to  make  this  entertainment  good  enough 
fur  both  occasions.  During  the  day  invitations  were 
sent  aft,  accompanied  by  progranunes.  At  8.30  one  of 
the  men  came  to  the  cabiii  and  invited  us  into  the  deck- 
house. Filtering,  we  found  a  nice  little  staue  erected 
with  drop-curtain,  footl"ghts,  etc.,  and  tastily  decorated 
with  Hags.  The  performance  cop.imcnced  with  a  min- 
strel variety,  jokes  and  conundrums  sandwiching  in 
with  the  songs.  One  conundruni  was  excellent  (point- 
ing <t  ^ne  of  the  stanchions  of  the  deck-house) :  '•  Why 
is  that  stanchion  like  Mr.  Jairies  Gordon  Bennett  ?  Be- 
cause it  supports  the  house."     Sweetuian's  songs  were 


I    • 


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208 


THK    VOYAGE  OF    THE  JE ANNETTE. 


h!       t 


•  I 


vt'iy  good,  and  Kiiehne's  violin  solo  was  fine  indeed, 
especially  when  one  takes  into  considc,  ation  the  fact 
that  a  seaman's  life  does  not  ^erve  to  render  the  fin- 
gers supple  e  id  delicate.  Mr.  Cole  gave  us  a  jig  with 
all  the  gravity  of  a  judge.  One  of  the  features  of  the 
evening  was  the  reading  of  a  prologue  composed  by 
Mr.  Collins,  in  which  each  one  of  the  crew  was  made  the 
subject  of  a  rhyme  in  turn.  Alexey  and  Aneguin  gave 
us  native  dances,  and  the  latter  an  imitation  of  a  song 
sung  by  our  Chinamen.  The  Chinamen  gave  us  their 
native  song,  and  a  sham  fight  with  knives  and  a  pole, 
winding  up  by  imitating  with  much  contempt  Alexey 's 
and  Aneffuin's  manner  of  sinu;ino'  and  dancino;. 

Instead  of  shadow  pictures  we  had  tableaux  civanfs, 
**  Neptune  "  (Cole  turning  a  wheel,  our  broken  spare  one, 
mounted  on  a  camp  stool)  ;  '"  Sailors  mourning  over  a 
dead  marine  "  (two  sailors  mute  with  grief  over  an 
empty  brandy-bottle);  "A  glimpse  at  Vulcan"  (our 
prize  blacksmith.  Dressier) ;  •■'  Queen  Anne  "  (Aneguin 
—  Anne  Gwyne  —  Queen  Anne) ;  '•  Is  that  a  bear  I 
see?"  (Alexey  with  dog,  aiming  at  some  unseen  ob- 
ject); "Mars"  (nic.n  on  crutches);  '"•  Takhig  an  ob- 
servation "  (man  drinking  out  of  uplifted  bottle),  were 
all  capital.  When,  the  perfornuince  over,  we  broke  up 
at  eleven  o'clock,  we  all  felt  satisfied  sdike  with  the 
ship,  the  minstrels,  ourselves,  and  the  manner  in  which 
we  had  celebrated  the  first  day  of  the  year  of  our 
Lord  1880. 

January  2d,  Friday.  —  A  startling  meteorological 
fact  can  be  recorded  to-<lay.  We  have  seen  some  pretty 
high  barometric  readings,  but  to-day's  experience  goes 
far  beyond  anything  ever  seen  by  our  party  The 
pressure  began  at  30.64,  but  it  rose  to  30.85  at  noon, 
and  at  midnight  had  reached    13.13.      These  readings 


1^1 


THE   DEAD  OF   WINTER. 


209 


m4 


i 


are  reduced  to  a  temperature  of  32°  Fahrenheit.  The 
thermometer  remained  uniformly  very  low,  the  highest 
beinf  minus  37%  and  the  lowe.st  39.5°. 

There  is,  no  doubt,  a  heavy  blow  going  on  to  the 
southward  of  us.  For  us  the  accompaniments  of  this 
hi'>ii  barometer  and  low  temperature  were  a  westerly 
wind  veering,  going  to  N.  and  ending  in  perfect 
cahn,  and  almost  entirely  cloudless  sky  (a  few  light 
streaks  to  southern  horizon  being  the  only  clouds),  and 
no  unusual  electric  disturbance.  In  fact,  the  auroral 
displays  were  quite  ordinary.  A  lunar  halo  was  also 
.  )served  at  three  a.  m.,  but  it  had  no  especial  features. 
At  diiylight  nmnerous  Avater  clouds  were  observed 
around  us,  but  they  disappeared  during  the  forenoon 
as  llie  ice  closed.  At  ten  p.  m.  the  ice  commenced 
oTindiui!:  near  us  in  the  S.  W.,  the  motion,  judging 
by  the  sound,  being  transmitted  along  a  line  running  to 
the  northward.  What  I  mean  by  that  is,  that  when  the 
ice  moved  first  it  was  in  the  8.  W. ;  then  the  next 
.sound  was  from  S.  W.  by  W.,  while  in  the  S.  W.  it  was 
quiet ;  so  on  to  W.  and  along,  the  sound  retreating  to 
the  hoithward.  No  motion  was  connnunicated  to  the 
shit-.  ;»i  to  the  ice  surrounding  her.  The  noise  was  ex- 
a.'tlv  lil  e  the  paddle-wheels  of  a  .steamer  beating  the 
vuloiv,  ometimes  at  full  speed,  and  sometimes  at  half 
si}'^e{i  — own  as  it  may  be  heard  on  a  still  night  on 
the  North  iliver  at  home, 

Every  once  in  a  while  during  this  cold  snap,  we  are 

startled  by  a  loud  crack  like  a  rille  shot,  caused  by  the 

drawing  of   some  fastening.     That  we  have  not  had 

niore  of  them  may  be  due  to  the  extra  secure  manner 

in  which  our  ship  is  built ;  for  Mr.  Dunbar  seems  to 

u .^ve  experienced  much  more  of  this  kind  of  noise  in 

«>v!utering  in  a  whaler  in  Cumberland  »Sound. 
u 


II  .rl 


iy^ 


I'M 

I  I 
'i 


''     »l 


if} 


^  ■ 

i 

a  :   I 


I'! 


213 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEAXNETTE. 


Jdmiarij  ■]d,  Saiurdaij.  —  Early  daylight  at  eight 
A.  M.  At  noon  good  clear  davliuht  illuminating  the 
tloe,  and  showing  everything  ahout  the  .ship  distinctly. 
Anemometer  read  clearly  without  lantern  for  the  first 
time  in  many  days.  The  southern  sky  showed  bright 
red.  The  loom  of  land  was  descried  to  the  S.  S.  W. 
At  one  A.  M.  the  ice  was  atj-ain  in  motion  to  southward. 

Jiumarij  \th,  Sundcuj. — At  12. oO  a  very  brilliant 
meteor  shot  in  a  curved  line  from  S.  to  S.  E.  and  ex- 
ploded like  a  ro  '.'t.  sliowing  red,  yellow,  and  blue 
colors.     At  eleven  i  ted  tlie  ship.     The  berth  deck 

at  the  forward  and  ..  .er  ends  is  again  beaded  with 
moisture.  The  experiment  of  laying  old  mattresses  on 
deck  on  the  forecastle  and  covering  them  with  snow 
worked  to  a  charm  for  a  diiy  or  two,  the  berth  deck 
being  dry  and  comfortable,  but  it  has  broken  out  again 
as  bad  as  ever.  The  fore  store-room  is  drv,  and,  as  far 
as  Ave  can  see,  entirely  free  from  frost ;  but  this  is  ex- 
plained by  its  being  covered  by  the  deck-house.  The 
after  store-room  is  full  of  frost,  and  will  have  to  be 
thoroughly  broken  out  in  the  spring.  The  ward-room  is 
dry  and  free  from  frost  except  the  side  I)ulkheads  of  the 
forward  rooms  (Danenhower'sand  Collins');  the  forward 
bulkheads  being  felted  are  quite  free  from  frost.  Sev- 
eral of  the  olHcers  discovered  during  the  week  that 
their  mattress  covers  (ticking)  had  connnenced  to  mil- 
dew ar.d  rot,  moisture  having  collected  between  their 
mattresses  and  the  berth  bottoms.  This  has  been  rem- 
edied by  each  one  turning  up  his  mattress  to  air  in  the 
morning  upon  getting  up,  and  airing  it  on  Saturdays 
when  the  lire  is  lighted  in  the  ward-room  to  heat  water 
for  bathing  purposes.  The  cabin  is  dry,  warm,  and  com- 
fortable. During  our  two  hours'  walking  exercise  on 
the  lloe  from  eleven  a.  m.  to  one  r.  m.,  it  is  opened  and 


":  .1, 


■f 


THE   DEAD   OF   WINTEU. 


211 


ventiliitefl  the  whole  or  part  of  the  time,  dependinu;  on 
tlio  temperature,  and  though  we  sometimes  find  it  cold 
upon  omr  return  on  board,  that  drawback  is  more  than 
compensated  for  by  having  hiid  the  air'changed. 

Our  little  mess  is  pulling  through  the  winter  fairly 
well.  Mr.  Dunbar  is  getting  back  to  his  usual  good 
condition,  but  Mr.  Danenhower  is  having  a  hard  time 
with  his  eyes,  the  intiainmation  being  so  great  that  he 
cannot  bear  any  liglit  to  fall  upon  them.  The  rest  of 
us  are  up  to  our  usual  standard.  At  one  r.  m.  read  the 
Articles  oi  War  an^  mustered  the  crew.  After  which 
performed  divine  service. 

January  bfh,  Monday.  —  This  morning  the  doctor 
came  to  me  and  represented  that  Danenhower's  ";ase  was 
of  a  very  serious  character,  and  that  there  was  great 
danger  of  his  losing  the  sight  of  his  left  eve.  Owin(»: 
to  the  necessity  lor  shielding  the  eye  from  all  light,  it 
would  become  necessary  for  Mr.  Danenhower  to  remain 
in  his  room  in  total  darkness,  and  it  was  feared  that  this 
might  ail'ect  his  general  health  and  depress  his  spirits. 
I  am  much  distressed  at  the  news,  for  Danenhower  is 
highly  prized  by  all  of  us,  and  by  his  efforts  has  kept 
us  many  an  hour  from  moping.  He  is  now  shut  out 
from  all  ])articipation  with  what  is  going  on,  and  we  can 
do  nothing  but  go  down  occasionally  and  sit  with  him 
in  the  dark  and  talk  with  hnn.  He  is  cheerful  enough 
himself,  however,  and,  having  great  force  of  character, 
lias  made  up  his  mind  to  accept  the  situation  and  light 
it  out  patiently. 

January  6tli,  Ihesday.  —  The  surgeon  handed  me 
to-day  his  report  of  the  result  of  the  monthly  examina- 
tion. He  considers  the  condition  of  the  majority  of  the 
officers  and  men  satisfactory.  His  opinion  of  Danen- 
hower's  case  I   recorded   yesterday.      Several  of    the 


'11  !i 


11 

■1.1 

iifi 


IfW 


212 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEAXNETTE. 


i      ■•' 


h  i 


» 


officers  and  men  complain  of  sleeplessness,  which  I 
have  also  previously  noted.  Of  the  thirty-three  oflfi- 
cers,  seamen,  and  natives,  twenty-three  are  in  excellent 
condition  ;  eight  are  in  good  condition ;  one  is  in  fairly 
good,  and  one  in  poor  condition  —  so  that  I  think  we 
are  in  no  very  serious  amount  affected  by  the  endur- 
ance of  the  Arctic  winter. 

January  Sfh,  Thursday.  —  Danenhower's  case  still 
excites  uneasiness  in  the  surgeon's  mind.  The  best  that 
can  be  said  of  it  is  that  it  grows  no  worse.  As  it  is  al- 
ready very  bad,  there  is  but  little  comfort  in  this  knowl- 
edge. This  continued  confinement  in  a  dark  room  may 
prey  upon  Danenhower's  mind,  although  thus  far  he 
has  borne  it  bravely. 

January  Vllfi,  Monday.  —  At  two  a.  m.  a  slight  ice 
movement  to  westward.  At  1.1  •>  p.  m.  a  sudden  sharp 
crack  made  the  ship  jump  one  quarter  of  a  point  in  azi- 
muth. Supposing  that  we  were  in  for  a  time,  I  ran  out 
on  deck,  but  found  everything  surrounding  the  ship  in 
its  usual  quiet.  About  eight  hundred  yards  to  the  south- 
ward, however,  there  Avas  the  sound  of  grinding  and 
crushing,  and  this  movement  no  doubt  was  the  cause  of 
our  getting  a  sudden  nip  and  consequent  scare.  Know- 
ing that  all  our  trouble  came  at  new  and  full  moon,  and 
that  we  had  a  new  moon  yesterday,  I  stood  by  anx- 
iously all  the  afternoon  and  evening  for  some  further 
demonstrations,  but  nothing  occurred,  and  we  were  able 
to  go  to  bed  in  peace  and  quiet.  From  the  sudden  low- 
ering of  the  temperature,  1  am  inclined  to  think  we  are 
going  to  have  another  cold  snap. 

January  I'lih,  Tuesday.  —  My  expectations  of  a  cold 
snap  have  been  realized,  —  the  thermometer,  which  be- 
gan at  minus  24°,  having  gone  down  steadily  to  minu,^ 
35°  at  nine  r.  m.,  and  only  risen  to  minus  o2°  at  midnight. 


t^    ;i 


THE   DKAI)  OF   WINTEK. 


213 


are 


This  cold  snap  followed  very  clo.sely  the  new  moon,  and 
1  observed   by  looking  back  in  the  journal   that  our 
other  cold  spell  occurred  at  about  the  same  time  after 
full  moon,  which  1  had  been  led  to  expect  by  the  re- 
marks of  Dr.  Kane,  McClintock,  and  others.     At  the 
full  moon  instance  our  mercurial  thermometer  indicated 
minus  30.5°,  which  is  4.5°  colder  than  our  new  moon 
experience.     The  weather  to-day  was  remarkably  clear 
aud  beautiful.     From  six  p.  m.  to  midnight  the  sky  was 
a])solutely  cloudless,  and  the  southern  hori/on  se(mied 
as  clearly  defined  as  a  knife  edge.     The  delicate  new 
moon  a  little  above  it,  the  stars  bright  and  cold,  the 
absolute  calm,  made  a  picture  such  as  one  was  forced 
to  linger  over  in  spite  of  danger  of  freezing  nose  and 
face.     Turning  about,  an  equally  beautiful  picture,  but 
of  a  different  kind,  met  the  eye,  —  the  ship.     For  the 
last  two  davs  there  was  considerable  moisture  in  the 
air.  whit'li  was  deposited  on  our  rigging   in  rime   and 
light  tluffy  masses  like  down.     Freezing  there  imme- 
diately, of  course,  every  rope  and  spar  seemed  made 
twice  its  usual  size  ;  and  this  evening,  after  gazing  at 
the  perfect  picture  which  nature  gave  us  of  a  midwin- 
ter night,  to  turn  around  and  look  at  the  ship  was  to 
feel  that  she  had  dropped  out  of  fairy-land  in  her  pure 
whiteness,  and  was  too —   Well,  1  can't  say  what  I  want 
to.    These  outbursts  are  too  much  for  me  ;  I  commence 
them,  and  cannot  finish  them  ;  I  seem  to  know  the  tune, 
but  can  never  remember  the  words.     Occasionally  I  go 
out  on  the  ice  on  these  beautiful  evenings,  and  try  to 
make  words  express  my  feelings  suitably  ;  but  a  lot  of 
(logs  wrangling  over  an  empty  meat-can,  trying  to  find 
a  meal  in  it,  surround  me,  and  drag  me  down  to  plain 
matter  of  fact.     So  I  take  my  half-tVozen  nose  tenderly 
in  my  hand,  and  lead  myself  back  on  board  ship. 


■  i   ? 


:     1 

f  .,' 


i'    i 


( 

i 

ll 

.l-ii 

ill 

II 

I 


if  'M' 
1;' 


!       i 


!, 


214 


■VWK   VOYAfil-:  OF   TIIK  JKANXH  ITK 


i   £:ii 


At  0.1  r)  I',  ji.  the-  quarterniiister  came  in  to  report 
heavy  grinding  and  movement  aliead  of  the  .ship  to  the 
S.  S.  W.  Seizing  a  lantern  I  rushed  out  upon  the  floe, 
accompanied  bv  Alexey,  and  from  the  horrid  din  and 
screeching  of  the  ice  I  thouij-ht  the  commotion  could 
not  be  fifty  feet  from  us.  Alternate  the  howling  of  a 
gale  around  the  rigging  of  a  sl^ip  with  the  beat  of  the 
paddle-wheels  of  a  hundred  steamers,  and  you  will  have 
a  good  idea  of  what  this  noL-^c  sounded  like.  Not  feel- 
ing any  trembling  to  our  floe,  I  concluded  to  look  fur- 
ther for  the  disturbance,  and  so  went  on.  After  going 
about  one  thousand  yards  and  cro.ssing  two  cracks  my 


■:^'''i??':;'!W??Sf ;';"'S;>'--^-"v'  y- 


>,  .Vr:.^^#|€.-  '.^^ 


A  Quarrel  Over  a  Meat-Can. 

lantern  went  out.  We  were  not  up  to  the  disturbance 
yet,  and  the  noise  was  quite  as  great.  After  floundering 
and  .stumbling  around  for  a  while,  I  decided  to  return 
and  await  events  nearer  home.  Alexey  and  myself, 
after  rolling  over  and  over  a  dozen  times  or  more  in 
the  darkness,  made  our  way  back,  and  finding  no  dis- 
turljance  at  the  ship,  we  dismissed  the  subject  contempt- 
uously as  "  plenty  noise,  small  move."  At  eleven  the 
noise  and  movement  had  passed  off  to  the  eastward, 


'  .'i, 


»<«»**- 


my 


THE  DEAD   OF  AV INTER. 


215 


and  were  growing  faint  in  the  distance.  The  carpen- 
ters connnenced  to-day  the  building  of  two  more  sleds, 
to  carry  our  cutters  in  case  we  have  to  abandon  the 
ship,  which  God  forbid. 

January  \Wi,  Wednesday.  —  Excepting  a  little  ad- 
ditional movement  in  the  distance  to  the  S.  W.,  the  ice 
oave  us  no  alarms.  But  at  its  best,  it  is  so  treacherous 
that  we  never  feel  safe.  I  went  with  a  dog  sled  sev- 
eral miles  around  the  lloe  and  saw  a  few  openings,  al- 
ready frozen  over,  but  these  are  the  only  signs  of  recent 
movement.  The  big  piles  of  slab  ice  heaped  up  here 
and  there  are  the  results  of  the  great  November  confu- 
sion wliich  broke  us  adrift  and  floated  us  to  our  pres- 
ent insecure  berth. 

January  15th,  llnirsday.  —  We  have  had  considera- 
ble anxiety  to-day  on  account  of  tlie  ice.  At  noon  a 
slight  shock  was  experienced,  and  on  going  out  on  the 
Hoe  I  found  that  it  had  f^racked  and  opened  about 
twenty  feet  from  our  starboard  side  (ship  heading  S. 
S.  W.  and  a  half  W.),  the  crack  rounding  the  bow  and 
o-oinsjr  ahead  in  the  prolongation  of  the  stem  in  one  di- 
rection,  and  in  the  other,  passing  along,  it  went  across 
the  stern  at  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  yards. 
This  crack  widened,  until  at  three  it  had  become  eight 
feet  in  width,  and  at  the  same  time  a  fissure  appeared 
on  our  port  side  about  one  hundred  feet  distant,  which 
became  an  opening  at  six.  As  far  as  could  be  observed, 
the  general  direction  of  the  ice  movement  was  to  the 
E.  and  S.  We  were  not  disturbed  beyond  an  occasional 
snap,  as  some  fracture  took  place  in  the  ice,  but  th's 
horrible  uncertainty  grows  wearisome.  Living  over  a 
powder  manufactory  may  be  exciting,  but  it  is  not 
healthy  excitement ;  and  our  constant  state  of  anxiety 
may  well  be  compared  to  it.     As  the  daylight  left  us, 


i 

•II 

•i-lii 


m 


■I  J}'  i  '      i 


;l 


1.U« 


t.ll 


216 


THE  VOYAGE   OF   TIIK  .lEANNETTE. 


kf    ■'■ 


at  four,  our  position  was  within  a  small  floe  with  water 
all  around  us.  Of  course,  the  ice  will  close  up  again, 
and  then  it  is  a  iiuestion  of  strength.  If  the  small  lloe 
is  squeezed  on  two  sides  it  will  collapse,  and  then  the 
ship  gets  the  pressure ;  if  squeezed  on  one  side  it  will 
go  to  the  main  floe  on  the  other,  and  the  edges  will 
break  up  and  pile  up  imtil  the  broken  masses  reach  tue 
ship's  side.  In  any  case,  the  ship  comes  in  for  some 
unpleasantness,  so  there  is  not  much  choice.  Ice  forty 
inches  thick  is  a  powerful  enemy  but  a  weak  defender. 

Januarij  16//i,  Friday.  —  Although  the  wind  did  not 
attain  a  high  velocity,  it  seemed  to  be  peculiarly  search- 
ing and  very  loud.  While  we  have  been  able  to  take 
our  usual  walking  exercise  with  less  wind  and  minus  29° 
temperature,  to-day  a  temperature  of  minus  16°  was 
unbearable.  I  accordingly  dispensed  with  the  enforced 
exercise,  although  I  make  it  a  general  rule  to  keep  it 
up  as  long  as  the  thermometer  stands  above  minus  30°. 

At  12.80  A.  M.  the  familiar  grinding  and  groaning 
made  itself  heard  on  our  starboard  side.  Examination 
showed  that  the  tloes  which  separated  yesterday  were 
coming  together  again,  and  breaking  up  the  new  ice 
which  had  already  formed  in  the  crack.  Beyond  an 
occasional  jar  and  shock,  the  ship  did  not  move.  At 
three  the  ice  again  began  its  movement,  and  this  con- 
tinued at  intervals  all  day  until  seven  p.  5i.  Jars  and 
shocks  were  frequent,  but  the  ship  did  not  move,  keep- 
ing the  same  heel  2i°  to  starboard,  .although  she  was 
receiving  considerable  pressure  on  her  underwater  body. 
We  had,  therefore,  nothing  to  worry  us  but  a  constant 
state  of  tension  and  anxiety.  The  auroral  display  was 
extraordinary. 

January  1*7 th,  Saturday.  —  The  day  opened  pleasant 
and  clear  with  a  N.  W.  wind.    The  barometer  rose  stead- 


Milii! 


%:i 


TIIK    DEAD  OF   WlXTEIt. 


2]  7 


ilv  from  29.62  to  30.  The  temperature  ran  dowu 
rapidly,  giving  us  our  coldest  experience  thus  far, — 
beginning  at  minus  21.5°,  it  ran  steadily  down  to  mi- 
nus 42°  by  five  p.  m.,  .at  which  temperature  our  mercu- 
rial thermometer,  No.  4,318,  froze  solid,  and  declined 
to  go  down  any  further.  Mercurial  thermometer  No. 
4,274  kept  on,  however,  and  accommodated  us  at 
midnight  with  a  reading  of  minus  44.5°.  The  two 
spirit  thermometers  were  slow  to  realize  how  cold  it  was, 
for  No.  4,402  had  got  only  to  minus  42°  at  midnight,  and 
4,'>97  to  minus  41° ;  but  they  may  do  better  hereafter. 
The  weather  has  been  beautiful  all  day,  scarcely  a  cloud 
and  but  little  haze  preventing  the  sky  from  being  per- 
fectly clear.  Excepting  a  slight  movcMuent  ahead  of 
the  ship  at  seven  a.  m.  the  ice  let  us  alone,  giving  us 
calm  minds  to  enjoy  the  cold  and  the  auroral  display. 
Early  daylight  at  6.55  A.  m.  As  we  have  had  so  much 
clear  weather  we  have  seen  nothing  of  the  land  to  the 
southward.  The  refraction  has  caused  it  at  other  times 
to  be  lifted  so  much  above  the  horizon  that  we  have 
been  quite  misled  as  to  its  distance.  By  our  last  deter- 
mination of  our  position,  we  are  one  hundred  miles  to 
the  northward  and  eastward  of  Wrangel  Land,  suppos- 
ing its  position  to  be  correctly  defined  on  the  chart,  and 
yet  when  we  last  saw  it  it  was  hard  to  believe  it  more 
than  fifty  miles  away. 

A  careful  measurement  of  a  portion  of  the  turned 
up  fioe  broken  olf  in  the  late  squeeze  gave  us  a  tlM-k 
ness  of  forty-six  inches,  the  result  of  direct  freezuig 
since  November  28th. 

January  18/A,  Sunday.  — - 1  inspected  the  ship  at 
eleven  a.  m.,  and  found  the  berth  deck  fairly  dry.  By 
watching  the  moisture  carefully,  and  wiping  it  off  when- 
ever it  appears,  the  berths  are  kept  dry  j  and  by  airing 


I:  ; 


!  I ; 


m 


I  '  '! 


W 


^«; 


ii. 


!pf 


U18 


rilK    VOYACK  OF  TIIK  .IKANXin'TE. 


{I  I  I 


!      1 


the  iniittre8.ses  weekly  in  the  deck-house,  und  turning 
them  up  from  day  to  (hiy  in  the  herths,  I  think  we 
uvoid  !iny  evil  consequences  which  mij^ht  he  produced 
by  damp  bedding.  At  one  i'.  m.  I  read  divine  sei'vice  in 
the  cabin. 

Jamiarii  \0(h,  Momhuj.  —  A  ihiy  of  great  anxiety 
and  trouble.  At  l..:iO  a.  m.  there  was  a  loud  noise  as  of 
the  cracking  of  the  ship's  frame  from  some  great  pres- 
sure. 1  was  sitting  in  my  room  at  the  time,  and  the 
•sound  seemed  to  come  right  abreast  of  me.  I  subse- 
quently learned  that  a  umilar  sound  had  been  heard  on 
the  berth  deck  about  abreast  of  the  foremast.  I  ran 
out  to  look  for  a  cause  for  thi.s  noise,  but  could  see 
nothing.  The  ice  was  perfectly  quiet,  and  no  evidence 
of  anything  wrong  could  be  found  about  the  shij).  Af- 
ter waiting  an  hour  for  further  developments,  nothing 
occurring,  I  turned  in,  supposing  it  might  have  been  a 
bolt  drawing  by  reason  of  the  extreme  cold.  At  7.45 
the  wind  suddenly  shifted  from  N.  to  W.  N.  W.,  the  ice 
began  to  move,  and,  amid  the  groaning  and  grinding  of 
the  Hoes,  the  ship  was  felt  to  receive  tremendous  pres- 
sure. The  line  of  ice  movement  appeared  to  be  at  the 
break  across  the  bows  which  occurred  December  11th 
and  closed  up  the  same  day.  But  the  ice,  while  mov- 
ing along  slightly  to  the  eastward,  came  down  toward 
the  stem,  broke  off  large  pieces  of  floe  at  the  old  frac- 
ture, and,  piling  up  these  masses  under  the  stem,  brought 
a  tremendous  longitudinal  pressure  on  the  ship.  The 
ship  being  firmly  imbedded  in  the  floe,  and  held  firmly 
on  all  sides,  could  not,  of  course,  go  astern,  nor  could 
she  rise,  although  her  curving  bow  was  in  her  favor, 
and  in  consequence  it  became  a  question  of  her  fore  and 
aft  strength.  As  she  had  stood  an  equally  severe  pres- 
sure on  her  sides  (much  weaker  places,  of  course),  I  had 


I 


THE   DEAD  OF    WINTKK. 


L>ia 


110  pjuticular  lonr;  ami  when  1  saw  the  llou  on  hor  port 
side  buckle  up  and  break  in  long  tliwartship  cracks,  and 
then  tiie  niovenient  and  pressure  both  seem  to  cease, 
1  believed  that  we  had  weathered  one  more  nip. 

At  10.30  A.  M.  when  the  men  went  down  in  the  (ire- 
room  at  the  daily  serving  out  of  coal,  Sharvell  lieard 
the  running  ol"  water  in  the  bilges,  and  j)romptly  re- 
])()rtcd  it.  An  examination  was  made  at  once,  and  we 
discovered  that  water  was  llowing  from  forward.  Fol- 
lowing it  up  we  found  to  our  dismay  tiiat  there  were 
two  streams  of  water  an  inch  in  diameter,  llowi»>g 
through  the  filling  which  had  been  put  in  below  tlie 
berth  deck  at  the  Mare  Island  Yard;  and  that  the 
water  stood  at  a  depth  of  eighteen  inches  in  the  fore- 
peak,  at  twenty-four  inches  in  the  store-room,  next 
abaft  it,  and  thirty-six  inches  in  the  fore  hold,  while  in 
the  lire-room  it  was  over  the  floor-plates  on  the  star- 
board side.  The  deck-pumps  were  at  once  rigged  and 
manned,  and  T  ordered  steam  to  be  raised  on  the  port 
l)oiler  to  run  the  steam-pump.  While  one  watch  worked 
the  pumps,  the  other  watch  were  put  at  work  breaking 
out  the  fore  peak,  hoisting  the  Hour  out  of  the  store- 
room next  abaft  it,  and  breaking  out  the  fore  hold.  To 
my  great  relief  the  pumps  seemed  to  hold  their  own. 
The  forward  bilge-pump  (the  only  one  worked)  being 
in  the  deck-house,  the  men  were  sheltered  from  the  in- 
tense cold,  and  were  able  to  work  to  advantage.  Wo 
had  great  difficulty  in  getting  the  use  of  the  steam- 
pump.  In  the  first  place,  the  sea  cocks  being  frozen 
we  could  not  run  up  the  boiler  from  the  sea,  and  hence 
had  to  resort  to  pouring  water  from  buckets  through  the 
man-hole  plates.  The  temperature  of  the  fire-room 
was  then  minus  29°,  and  we  were  a  long  time  in  getting 
the  pump  in  a  condition  fit  for  use.     But  by  Melville's 


i 


i 


^. 


220 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


indomitable  energy  it  wa.s  ready  by  three  p.  m.  Up  to 
this  time  we  had  carefully  kept  the  gates  of  the  for- 
ward water-tight  buUchead  closed  to  keep  the  water  in 
one  compartment,  but  when  steam  was  ready  we  opened 
them.  The  water  did  not  flow  aft  readily,  however, 
the  limber  holes  imder  the  coal  bunkers  being  frozen 
or  otherwise  choked  up.  Such  water  as  did  come  aft 
was  pumped  out  by  steam  through  the  fire  hose  con- 
nection on  deck,  and  by  hose  through  a  scupper ;  our 
steam-pump  suction  was  on  the  port  side,  and  the  ship 
being  heeled  2h°  ^o  starboard,  the  greatest  amount  of 
water  came  aft  ori  the  starboard  side.  Hence  the  steam- 
pump  could  work  only  when  the  water  rose  above  the 
keelson,  and  washed  over  to  port.  I  kept  all  hands  on 
deck  until  midnight,  and  then  sent  one  watch  below ; 
and,  in  view  of  the  hard  work  everybody  had  been 
called  on  to  perform,  1  served  out  two  ounces  of  brandy 
to  each  man.  Nindemann  stood  down  in  the  fore  peak 
up  to  his  knees  in  water,  stulling  in  oakum  and  tallow 
into  every  place  from  wliich  water  came.  As  fast  as 
he  stuffed  it  in  below  the  water  came  out  above  ;  and 
when  finally  he  got  so  far  that  but  a  little  water  trickled 
out  from  the  bow-HlJing,  it  forced  its  way  out  through 
the  ceiling.  We  put  Alexey  and  Aneguin  to  work 
digging  out  the  ice  under  the  bow,  to  try  to  find  out 
v/here  the  injury  was  and  of  what  nature.  But  after 
they  had  dug  away  some  of  the  pi'^ces  which  had  been 
piled  up,  the  water  flowed  over  the  ice  beneath  and 
froze,  and  eftechially  stopped  work.  No  sign  of  injiny 
could  be  ,ieen  outside,  and  nothing  insi(k>  but  the  flow- 
ing of  the  water,  and,  as  far  as  may  be  judged  from  ap- 
pearances, it  would  seem  hat  the  ship's  forefoot  has 
been  broken  off  or  twisved,  starting  the  garboard 
etrakes.     Until  \\3  can  free  the  ship  from  water  we  can 


I 


1 1  !  - . 


THE   DEAD  OF   WINTEH. 


221 


I' 


can 


do  notlilng  towards  building  a  water-tight  hulkheiid 
across  the  fore  peak,  and  thus  keeping  the  water  leak 
under  control  of  the  hand-pumps.  As  the  water  will 
not  come  aft  readily  to  the  steam-pump,  we  must  got  a 
steam-pump  forward  to  it,  for  men  cannot  stand  pump- 
ing from  now  till  spring.  Fortunately  we  have  a  pump 
in  the  engine-room  which  we  can  move  forv/ard  to  the 
old  galley-room  and  connect  by  a  long  series  of  pipes 
to  the  main  boiler,  and  tliat  is  suggested  by  Melville 
and  connuenced  to  be  put  into  execution  at  midnight. 

PiVerything  was  carried  on  regularly,  quietly,  and 
sv4eniatically.  There  was  no  excitement  and  no  con- 
fusion. If  we  had  to  leave  the  ship,  our  sledges  were 
rciidy  on  the  poop  packed  with  forty  days'  provir.ions, 
our  boats  were  ready  to  lower,  and  we  had  the  two 
dingys  mounted  on  their  sleds.  Everybody  had  his 
knapsack  juid  sleeping-bag  ready,  and  our  records  and 
])a|)ers  \ve.:e  in  condition  to  seal  up  in  a  box,  but  thank 
(K)d  we  had  no  occasion  to  experience  that  emergency. 
Temperature  slowly  rises  to  minus  44°.  Early  daylight 
at  6. 50.  Clear  and  pleasimt.  Bright  moonlight  and 
starlight.  Considerable  ice  movement  during  day,  and 
continuous  heavy  pressiu-e. 

Janiarij  2()th,  Tuesday.  —  A  very  disagreeable  feji- 
ture  in  connection  with  our  trouble  is,  that  we  have  a 
sick  man  on  our  hands  (Danenhower),  and  his  being- 
unable  to  help  hhnself,  in  case  of  an  extraordinary 
emergency,  makes  it  a  cause  of  serious  anxiety  to  me. 
The  doctor  was  suddenly  taken  ill  last  night  Avith  a 
bilious  attack,  and  for  a  tiriie  I  was  quite  alarmed  about 
hiui.  But  this  morning  he  seems  to  be  on  the  mend. 
Mr.  Dunbar  is  not  strong  yet,  his  recent  sickness  seem- 
ing to  have  added  twenty  years  to  his  age. 

While  we  are  in  this  uncertain  state,  there  ir.  not 


;  ■I* 
1   ft 


$ 


S'     t^ 


.1 


I  !•'■  i  ( 


li ' 


I 


■f  •■ 


990 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  TUE   JEANNETTE. 


luucli  rest  lor  Cliipi).  Melville,  or  iiuself ;  and  among 
the  men,  Nindemann,  Cole,  and  Sweetman  seem  to  be 
a.s  nnwilling  to  take  rest  as  ourselves.  The  last  named 
is  not  vt  ry  strong,  and  I  fear  woidd  not  stand  a  heavy 
strain.  But  Nindemann  seems  to  know  no  such  thint; 
as  fatigue.  We  do  not  gain  much  on  the  water,  but 
then  the  water  does  not  gain  on  us.  The  auxiliary 
steam-pump  has  been  moved  from  the  engine-room  to 
the  old  galley-room,  and  secured  in  place  against  the 
berth  declv  bulkhead.  Several  repairs  were  made  to  it, 
such  as  fitting  new  valves,  etc.,  but  we  had  not  finished 
running  the  line  of  piping  to  it  from  the  main  boiler  by 
the  time  the  day  closed.  A  connection  will  be  had  with 
the  main  boiler  through  the  steam-wh.stle  pipe.  As 
soon  as  we  got  the  auxiliary  pump  in  place  we  at- 
tempted to  run  it  by  the  Baxter  boiler,  but  the  pump 
was  too  much  for  i*^.  taking  away  all  its  steam  almost 
immedi.itely.  The  forward  bilge-pump  is  worked  by 
the  watch,  and  at  times  we  get  the  water  down  so  low 
that  ten  minutes'  pumping  and  ten  minutes'  spell  keep 
the  water  in  check.  The  tlow  of  water  aft  to  the  en- 
gine-room is  freer,  enabling  the  steam-pump  to  be  run 
fifteen  minutes  in  every  half  hour,  iirivino-  a  l)reathiuy: 
spell  to  the  men.  The  boiler-pump  exhausts  into  the 
bily;e,  ;i  id  the  feed  water  is  taken  from  the  bilsfe,  all 


'o*-? 


is^} 


the  sea  cocks  being  frozen  fast  in  their  seats. 

We  cannot  expect  to  free  the  ship  by  the  hand- 
pumps  alone,  and  are  waiting  for  the  aid  of  the  auxil- 
iary steam-pump.  It  nuiy  seem  strange  that  so  long  a 
time  is  required  to  get  this  in  operation,  but  our  ditti- 
culties  are  enormous.  To  take  a  steam-pump  dow^i, 
move  it.  and  put  it  together  is  a  long  job  alone,  withe  ut 
speaking  of  running  steam-piping,  all  of  which  has  to 
be  fitted.     Every  num  has  been  worked  up  lo  the  top 


THE  DEAD  OF   WINTEll. 


223 


lilli- 

K  at 
s  to 
top 


notch  of  his  strength,  whether  in  engine  work,  at  the 
pumps,  or  carrying  provisions  aft ;  and  though  there 
seems  but  little  described  on  this  page,  the  day  has 
been  spent  in  harder  work  than  falls  to  the  lot  of  most 
men.  Still  everything  is  done  quietly  and  with  pre- 
cision, and  aided  by  Chipp  and  Melville,  whoso  supe- 
riors the  navy  cannot  show,  with  their  untiring  energy, 
splendid  judgment,  and  fertility  of  device,  I  am  confi- 
dent of  being  able  to  do  all  that  man  can  do  to  carry 
on  the  expedition  to  a  safe  termination. 

Considerable  ice  movement  and  pressure  during  the 
day.  The  ship  has  increased  her  heel  to  three  degrees 
to  starboard,  and  floe  and  ship  have  swung  to  south  by 
west  one  and  one  fourth  points.  Light  breezes  between 
S.  and  W.  all  day,  and  temperature  struggling  up  from 
minus  44°  to  minus  37°.  The  movement  of  the  ice 
s(>oms  to  be  to  the  eastward.  There  are  numerous 
rid  ties  in  sia-bt  where  the  floes  have  been  broken  and 
piled  up  upon  coming  in  contact.  The  floe  around  the 
ship  remains  as  yesterday,  but  Avhen  pressed  yields  in 
heavy  surges  which  cause  the  shij^  to  snap  and  crack. 
A  careful  examination  shows  no  sign  of  anything  being 
strained  or  broken  inside  below,  in  spite  of  the  pressure  ; 
and  from  watching  the  incoming  of  the  water  we  are 
still  of  the  opinion  that  the  injury  to  the  ship  consists 
of  the  breckiui'  of  the  forefoot  and  the  starting  of  the 
garbonrd  strakes. 

January  21s^,  Wednesday. — The  work  of  running 
the  line  of  steam-piping  to  the  auxiliary  steam-pump 
in  the  galley-room  was  completed  by  one  A.  m.  The 
steam-pipe  w  is,  as  I  have  before  said,  led  to  the  steam- 
whistle  pipe,  which  of  course  communicated  with  the 
nuiin  boiler.  U]ion  turning  on  the  steam  the  pipe  was 
found  to  be  frozen,  and  steam  would   not  pass.     We 


Ij 


M 


\.\ 


I 

w 

^i    '  ' 

.1 

M 

^^ 

\ 

ijli 


;iii: 


liiilii 

I'    : 


;J  ■  i 


224 


THE   VOYAGE   OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


had,  therefore,  to  take  down  the  pipe  and  tlaw  it  out. 
This  done,  we  tried  again  and  got  the  pmnp  to  work, 
but  found  the  suction  pipe  too  small.  We  then  re- 
moved the  bilge  suction  pipe  from  the  main  engine  and 
attached  it  to  the  auxiliary  pump,  and  then  the  pump 
worked  all  right  to  my  great  satisfaction,  for  I  was  able 
to  give  our  tired  men  a  rest. 

It  was  seven  a.  m.  when  we  got  the  auxiliary  pump 
running,  but  we  immediately  succeeded  in  keeping  the 
water  in  check.  By  four  i".  m.  we  had  got  so  much 
ahead  of  the  water  that  the  fore  peak  was  dry  enough 
to  commence  building  a  small  bulkhead  abaft  of  the 
bow-tilling  to  stop  the  leak  there  to  some  extent.  The 
water  seemed  to  flow  aft  to  the  engine-pump  more 
readily  to-day,  and  by  pumping  fifteen  minutes  in  every 
half  hour  in  the  engine-room,  they  kept  that  part  of 
the  ship  free.  Occasionally  we  would  even  got  the 
auxiliary  pump  to  suck,  and  \ve  then  drove  plugs  in  the 
holes  which  we  had  bored  in  the  forward  bulkhead  of 
the  fore  hold,  and  thus  blocked  up  water  enough  to 
keep  the  auxiliary  going  all  the  time.  This  gave  a 
spell  to  the  men  in  the  engine-room,  and  Melville  (who 
will  not  sleep  or  rest)  sot  them  to  work  to  make  the 
necessary  forgings  for  his  proposed  connection  of  the 
Baxter  boiler  to  the  forward  spar  deck  bilge-pump. 

There  was  considerable  ice  movement  diu'ing  the  day, 
and"  tremendous  pressure.  The  ship  received  many 
severe  shocks,  but  these  did  not  seem  to  increase  the 
leak.  1  am  rather  inclined  to  think  that  a  broken  piece 
of  Hoe  has  been  shoved  under  her,  and  that  she  has 
been  lifted  above  some  of  the  pressure.  She  has  risen 
two  inches  above  her  old  line  of  flotation,  which  we 
have  determined  by  marks  made  where  her  snow  em- 
bankment came  originally.     The  ship  heels  3°  to  star- 


H  : 


l.t! 


THE  DEAD  OF  WINTEll. 


22o 


(lay, 
iiiiiiy 

the 
Meco 

has 
risen 

we 
em- 
star- 


board. I  am  a  little  afraid  that  there  may  be  some 
accident  to  the  stern-post  and  rudder-post  from  this  ex- 
cessive longitudinal  pressure,  although  the  fullness  of 
the  ship's  counters  may  receive  and  take  up  a  great 
deal  of  the  strain. 

Much  hard  work  falls  upon  two  men,  Nindemann  and 
Sweetnian.  These  two  have  to  take  turns  about  in 
standing  in  the  water  in  the  fore  peak,  building  the 
bulkhead  across  it.  Nindemann  seems  strong  enough 
for  everything,  but  this  kind  of  work  tells  on  Sweet- 
man,  and  I  have  once  or  twice  feared  that  he  would 
break  down.  Whiskey  is  served  out  to  them  once 
every  four  hours,  and  a  generous  supply  of  food  and 
coffee  is  made  for  such  other  men  as  have  night  work, 
and  1  thus  try  to  keep  everybody  up  to  his  strength. 
Chipp  and  myself  take  twelve  hours'  watch,  each,  look- 
ing out  generally  for  work,  and  watching  the  ice  care- 
fully for  emergencies.  This  is  like  living  over  a  pow- 
der magazine  with  a  train  laid  ready  for  firing.  Mel- 
ville, when  he  does  go  below,  instead  of  sleeping,  lies 
awake  planning  some  new  means  of  pumping  a  ship  by 
steam,  which  will  be  more  economical  than  the  main 
boilers.  Danenhower  is,  of  course,  out  of  the  case  alto- 
gether. 

January  22d,  Thursday.  — As  the  water  was  becom- 
ing low  enough  in  the  fore  peak  to  work  to  advan- 
tage, commenced  cutting  and  fitting  planking  for  the 
erection  of  water-tight  bulkhead  across  the  fore  peak 
twenty  inches  forward  of  the  foremost  side  of  the  fore- 
mast, at  the  step.  We  also  cut  holes  in  the  ceiling 
above  the  berth  deck  on  each  side,  and  shoved  down  be- 
tween the  frames  as  much  ashes  and  picked  felt  as  the 
spaces  would  hold.  These  tilings  filled  up  all  spaces 
down  to  the  filling  between  the  cant  frames,  say  two 

15 


;i 


1^1    ■' 


11  i:    I 


1        1 


i' 

11 

U  V  i; 


itn 


' :  'f 


■      Hi 


■i 


:i  \ 


Hi 


?1!'' 


t 


i  > 


226 


THE  VOYAGE   OF   THE  .TEANXETTE. 


feet  from  the  keelson,  and  towards  the  close  of  the  day 
they  seemed  to  have  the  effect  of  diminishhig  the  leak. 
We  had  to  keep  the  auxiliary  steam-pump,  in  the  old 
galley-room,  going  all  the  time,  however,  and  m  the 
afternoon  discovered  a  crack  in  its  suction  pipe.  Re- 
paired it,  and  at  the  same  time  Melville  added  two 
lengths  to  it,  so  as  to  make  the  end  piece  lie  horizon- 
tnlly  in  the  bilge.  This  seemed  to  add  to  the  efficiency 
of  the  pump,  and  we  materially  reduced  the  water. 
The  limber  holes  under  the  coal  bunkers  seemed  to  have 
become  more  thawed  or  otherwise  cleared,  for  the  accu- 
mulated water  Howed  aft  more  freely,  and  was  pumped 
out  by  the  engine-room  puinp  running  one  half  the 
time.  After  noon  only  water  enough  came  aft  to  en- 
gine-room to  feed  the  boiler.  The  engineer's  force  are 
having  plenty  of  work ;  for  in  addition  to  tending  the 
boiler  and  steam  pumps,  Melville  keeps  them  at  work 
making  forgirigs  and  other  fittings  for  our  proposed 
connection  of  the  Baxter  boiler  to  the  deck  bilge-pump. 
Edison's  electro-dynamic  machine  comes  in  handy,  for 
we  have  taken  its  shaft  to  fit  as  a  counter-shaft  for  the 
pumping. 

Upon  digging  out  the  fire-hole  to-day,  preparatory  to 
recommencing  soundings,  we  struck  hard,  solid  ice  at  a 
depth  of  four  feet,  which  so  completely  closed  the  fire- 
hole  from  below  that  we  could  not  get  a  lead  down.  I 
believe  now  that  when  we  sustained  the  severe  longi- 
tudinal pressure  the  advancing  floe  slid  under  the  floe 
in  which  the  ship  is  imbedded  (for  she  lifted  forward 
two  inches),  and  now  lies  imder  her  as  far  aft  as  her 
mainmast.  No  doubt  it  was  this  advancing  floe  which 
broke  the  forefoot. 

The  depth  of  water  in  the  ship  to-day  is  as  fol- 
lows  — 


!i  ;■ 


8  A.   M. 

4  p.  M. 

Midnight. 

22  in. 

18]  in. 

19  in. 

24  in. 

21]  in. 

19  in. 

20  in. 

27    in. 

19  in. 

IGin. 

20    in. 

19i  in. 

THE  DEAD   OF  WINTEK.  227 


At  step  of  foremast 

At  auxiliary  pump  suction, 

just  forward  chain  lockei's  24  in 
At  after  bulkhead  fore  hold  20  in 
At  fire-room  bilge 

The  flay  opened  clear  excepting  a  bank  of  cumulo- 
stnitus  and  stratus  clouds  to  W.  and  S.  W.  Eising 
barometer  from  30.05  to  30.28,  and  temperature  falling 
to  minus  37°  at  noon  and  rising  to  minus  28°  at  mid- 
night. Early  daylight  at  7.30.  High  dawn.  At  noon 
rosy  flush  in  sky  to  southward,  showing  clearly  the 
position  of  the  sun. 

Danenhower's  case  has  so  far  become  worse  that  the 
doctor  to-day  informed  me  that  unless  an  operation 
were  performed  he  would  in  all  probability  lose  the 
sight  of  his  left  eye.  The  circumstances  of  our  sur- 
roundings, the  poor  accommodations  for  sick  people, 
and  the  possible  emergency  of  our  having  to  abandon 
the  ship  and  take  to  the  floe,  make  the  performance  of 
till'  necessary  operation  a  risky  aftair  for  Danenhower. 
For,  should  he  be  exposed  to  hardships  and  privations 
incidental  to  a  march  over  the  ice,  he  would  quite 
probably  lose  the  eye.  Under  the  circumstances  1  ad- 
vised the  doctor  to  give  Danenhower  a  voice  in  decid- 
ing for  or  against  the  operation.  After  some  consider- 
ation Danenhower  decided  to  have  it  done,  and  it  was 
beautifully  performed  by  Dr.  Ambler,  and  borne  with 
heroic  endurance  by  the  patient.  I  ••  "dly  knew  which 
to  admire  the  most,  the  skill  and  celerity  of  the  sur- 
geon, or  the  nerve  and  endurance  of  Danenhower. 

Janunry  23rf,  Friday.  —  A  continuance  of  the  same 
story  :  a  leaky  ship  requiring  .all  our  endeavors  to  keep 
her  free.     The  auxiliary  steam-pump  in  the  old  galley- 


ill 


1 

11 


I    M^ 


"Hi 


i 


228 


THE   VOYAGE  OF   THE  .TEANNETTE. 


't:   . 


tl     ■  ;ii 


■■    '\'^ 

I,      li. 

room  is  going  all  the  time,  and  the  steam-pump  in  the 
engine-room  about  one  half  the  time.  Nindemann  and 
Sweetman  (the  only  two  men  who  can  be  trusted  not  to 
break  tools  in  this  cold  weather)  stand  watch  and  watch 
day  and  night  in  the  fore  peak  building  the  bulkhead. 
By  midnight  all  but  the  last  upright  plank  is  in  place, 
and  stringers  and  braces  are  beinj?  fitted  abaft  of  it  to 
resist  pressure  when  the  water  comes  against  it.  Early 
in  the  morning  we  broke  out  a  barrel  of  plaster  of  Paris, 
which  had  been  provided  for  the  naturalist's  use,  and 
we  shoved  that  down  between  the  frames,  hoping  it  woidd 
mix  with  the  water  there  and  harden  to  a  cement.  We 
also  rammed  down  another  lot  of  ashes  and  picked  felt. 

The  ship  i  s 
wretchedly  wet 
and  uncomfortable. 
The  berth  deck  is 
kept  moist  from 
the  endless  travel 
along  it  to  the  fore 
peak ;  the  galley- 
room  is  wet,  of 
course,  from  drip- 
pings from  auxili- 

From   Mr    Newcomb's   Sketch.  RrV     V)  U  Ul  D  *      t  ll  G 

deck-house  is  wet  from  the  Baxter,  and  the  quarter 
deck  is  covered  witli  ice  or  sludge  from  the  fire-hose 
discharge.  The  outlook  is  somewhat  discouraging  when 
contrasted  with  the  amljitious  beginning  of  the  voyage. 
But  as  the  darkest  hour  is  just  befor.!  the  dawn,  we 
may  have  a  bright  spot  in  our  future. 

Jamiary  2^th,  Simday.  —  Pump,  pump,  pump  —  the 
same  old  storey.  As  fast  as  we  pump  out,  the  water 
comes  in.     Nindemann  and  Sweetman,  by  hard  work 


THE   DEAD   OF   WIN'I'EU. 


229 


togetlier  all  day,  finished  calking  the  bulkhead  across 
the  fore  peak.  If  I  kept  these  men  continuously  at 
work,  I  suppose  in  three  days  I  should  have  Sweet- 
nian  on  the  sick  list.  Nindemann  will  overtax  his  great 
strength  without  admitting  that  he  is  fatigued.  So  as 
all  our  skilled  carpenters'  labor  is  in  these  two  I  must 
husband  their  strength  as  much  as  possible.  Some 
would-be  wise  person  may  ask  why  I  did  not  employ  the 
whole  ship's  company,  and  why  I  limit  the  work  to  two 
men  ?  To  such  a  question  1  here  reply  that  the  work 
of  stopping  or  controlling  this  leak  effectually  must  be 
well  done  and  by  skillful  hands  —  and  space  as  well  as 
other  considerations  permit  of  these  two  only. 

At  1 .30  p.  M.  I  read  divine  service  in  the  cabin.  The 
day  opened  clear  and  pleasant,  with  very  line  snow  dust 
and  light  E.  N.  E.  airs.  From  ten  a.  m.  to  three  v.  m. 
the  atmosphere  was  remarkably  clear.  At  twelve,  from 
aloft  was  seen  the  upper  limb  of  the  sun  much  distorted 
by  refraction. 

Danenhower's  case  is  again  becoming  very  disquiet- 
hig.  The  continued  confinement  is  telling  on  his  gen- 
eral health,  and  his  failing  to  improve  under  treatment 
worries  him  greatly.  Being  of  a  very  sensitive  nativry, 
he  feels  that  he  is  not  doing  any  duty  for  the  expedi- 
tion, and  that  worries  him.  We  try  to  encourage  him 
all  we  can.  He  accepts  our  kind  words  at  their  full 
value,  but  knows  they  do  not  in  any  way  alter  facts. 
The  doctor  is  very  anxious  about  him,  and  speaks  of  the 
stubbornness  of  the  case  and  the  probable  necessity  of 
another  operation.  My  anxieties  are  beginning  to  crowd 
on  me.  A  disabled  and  leaking  ship,  a  seriously  sick 
officer,  and  an  uneasy  and  terrible  pack,  with  a  con- 
stantly diminisL'ng  coal  pile,  and  at  a  distance  of  200 
miles  to  the  nearest  Siberian  settlement  —  these  are 
enough  to  think  of  for  a  lifetime. 


i|,i 


\- 


230 


T.'IK    VOYAGE  OF   TIIK  JE.\NN1:T  Tlv 


i 


- ) 

■ 

1.., 
i! 

1 

1 

» 


Jauiiftnj  2C)(h  Monday.  — The  beginning  ol"  this  day 
finds  us  at  our  usual  occupiition  :  running  pumps  and 
trying  to  stop  leaks.  We  continue  to  hold  our  own 
against  the  water,  and  that  is  about  all.  Of  course  our 
bulkhead  across  the  fore  peak  presents  no  obstacle 
to  the  passage  of  water  aft  between  the  ceiling  and 
planking,  and  the  ashes  and  plaster  of  Paris  have  not 
got  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  spaces  between  the 
frames.  We  therefore  set  to  work  to-day  to  rip  out 
the  ceiling  above  and  below  the  l>ilge  strak(>  on  each 
side.  This  was  a  hard  operation,  for  the  ceiling  below 
the  bilge  strake  is  of  teak,  and  had  to  be  literally  splin- 
tered out.  The  ceiling  above  was  of  lighter  material 
and  more  easily  removed.  All  day  was  required  to  do 
the  work,  and  to  stuff  oakum  down  well  alongside  the 
keelson,  and  drive  plugs  wherever  a  j'et  of  water  showed 
itself.  We  had  the  satisfaction,  however,  of  seeing 
some  good  results,  for  as  we  plugged  up  below  the 
water  came  up  and  out  above  ;  and,  therefore,  if  we  can 
succeed  in  filling  up  the  frame  spaces  there  will  be  so 
nuich  less  room  for  water  to  flow  through,  and  we  may 
dam  it  up  in  the  fore  peak.  Unfortunately  all  this 
takes  time,  and,  while  we  are  progressing  slowly,  our 
coal  is  burning  rapidly  at  the  rate  of  nearly  a  ton  a  day. 

We  moved  the  Baxter  engine  and  boiler  forward  to- 
day, and  connected  it  with  the  gearing  made  by  Mel- 
ville to  the  spar  dock  bilge-pump.  It  worked  beauti- 
fully, doing  as  much  work  as  the  auxiliary  pump.  The 
event  of  the  day,  however,  was  the  reappearance  of 
the  sun !  the  sun !  in  all  his  power  and  majesty.  All 
hands  turned  out  to  see  him  and  to  enjoy  his  light 
while  it  lasted.  The  pleasing  novelty  of  seeing  genu- 
ine sun  shadows  for  the  first  time  in  seventy-one  days 
was  thoroughly  refreshing.     Although  the  glare  was 


I  'l1 


THE   DEAD  OF   WINTElt. 


231 


trying  to  the  eyes,  niiiking  me  blink  like  an  owl  at 
first,  1  coulil  not  get  enougli  of  the  pleasant  sight. 

I  noticed,  upon  examining  carefully  every  one  who 
came  near  me,  that  we  have  a  bleached  appearance, 
which  is,  I  suppose,  natural  to  all  Arctic  voyagers,  and 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  considering  our  steady  living 
by  lamplight,  and  the  difficulty  of  getting  proper  ex- 
ercise in  this  low  temperature.  However,  we  are  all 
healthy  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  and  I  think  we 
may  congratulate  ourselves  on  having  passed  the  night 
of  the  Arctic  regions  so  successfully. 

As  if  to  give  us  as  much  light  as  possible  on  tbis 
eventful  day,  wben  the  sun  was  on  the  meridian  to  the 
southward,  the  full  moon  was  on  the  meridian  at  the 
northern  horizon,  so  that  for  these  twenty-four  hours 
we  had  either  sunlight  or  full  moonlight  all  the  time. 
We  managed  to  find  a  piece  of  floe  some  little  distance 
from  the  ship,  which  had  not  been  underridden  by  a 
second  floe,  and  we  cut  through  it  and  sounded  in 
thirty  fathoms,  muddy  bottom,  with  no  indicated  drift . 

Our  old  friend,  the  north  side  of  Wrangel  Land, 
was  in  sight  to-day  quite  plainly  after  the  sun  went 
down,  on  about  the  same  bearings  as  when  last  seen 
and  recorded. 


Ml 


i  I 


li! 


The   Ivory   GuM. 


M    I 


JH-ii 


Mi 


}!"'■:! 


i    1 


rf   I  ! 


lif 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    HETUHN    OF   DAYLIOnT. 

27  January — March,  1880. 

The  Pressure  on  the  Ship.  —  Dimimition  of  tlio  Leak.  —  Lunar 
llalos.  —  Hears  unci  Bear  Moat.  —  Engineering  Contrivances. 
—  Tlic  Amount  of  Salt  in  Ice. — Experience  of  Weyproclit  and 
Morse. —•  Condition  of  the  Dogs.  —  Forebodings. —  Oiisurvatlon 
under  Ditliculty.  —  Washington's  Birthday.  —  Protection  for  tlie 
Eyes.  —  Ciieerfulness  of  the  Crew. — The  Thermometers.  —  Dam- 
age to  tlie  Siiip.  —  Trench  Digging.  —  Soundings  and  Drift.  — 
Fresh  Potatoes.  —  An  Auroral  Display.  —  Fxamination  of  Dr. 
Kane's  and  Dr.  Walker's  Statements  of  the  1 1  jseuce  of  Salt  in 
Ice.  —  .St.  Patrick's  Day.  —  Ice  Formation. 

January  '27 th,  Txcfidai/.  —  The  day  begins  clear  and 
ploasiint,  with  bright  starlight  and  moonlight,  and  a 
light  air  from  E.  by  S.  At  one  A.  m.  it  fell  calm,  and 
almost  immediately  after  a  light  air  came  out  from  W. 
by  N.  No  sooner  had  the  shift  occurred,  dthoiigh  the 
Avind  Mas  so  light  as  not  to  turn  the  anemometer  cups, 
than  the  ice  began  to  move.  I  am  convinced  by  this 
time  that  although  the  ice  is  subject  to  a  tidal  motion, 
it  is  also  quite  sensitive  to  wind.  With  easterly  wnd. 
we  and  the  ice  drift  together,  as  a  general  thing, 
out  risk  or  confusion.  But  let  a  sudden  shift  to  lie 
Avcstward  occur  and  we  bring  up  all  standing,  and  are 
beaten  back  Avith  a  pressure  that  makes  us  in  trouble 
again.  If,  therefore,  there  is  open  water  in  this  part 
of  the  Avorld  at  this  season  of  the  year,  it  is  to  the 


TIIK    IJKTUIJN  OF   DAYLKHIT. 


233 


westward  of  us  toward  tlio  Now  Siberian  Islands.  At 
two  and  tliree  .\.  m.,  and  two,  three,  five,  eight,  nine, 
and  eleven  P.  M.,  the  ice  was  in  motion,  grinding  and 
groaning  to  the  8.  W.  and  close  to  ns.  The  ship  was 
nipped  on  these  occasions,  and  cracked  and  snapped 
loudly,  all  the  pressiu'e  seeming  to  come  abaft  the  main- 
mast. At  the  last  nipping  1  was  down  in  the  fore  peak 
looking  at  the  leak,  and  had  no  knowledge  of  the  ice 
being  in  motion,  no  sound  either  of  motion  or  pressure 
having  reached  me.  Upon  coming  aft  Mr.  Newcomb 
met  me  with  the  information  that  the  ice  had  soueezed 

A. 

us  hard.  The  cabin  door  keeps  a  good  record  of  the 
squeezing,  for  at  times  it  takes  two  of  us  to  open  it,  al- 
though a  good  bit  of  it  has  been  planed  away.  When 
the  pressure  subsides,  it  does  so  without  our  being  able 
to  detect  it  otherwise  than  by  the  easy  manner  in 
which  the  door  opens.  The  beams  of  the  poop  seem  a 
little  bowed  out  of  shape  from  the.se  repeated  squeezes 
of  the  frames  to  which  they  are  bolted. 

Weather,  as  a  general  thing,  cloudy  and  overcast. 
We  did  not,  therefore,  see  the  sun  to-day. 

At  the  beginning  of  these  twenty-four  hours  the  lim- 
bers under  the  coal  bunkers  seemed  to  become  entirely 
clear,  for  the  water  came  aft  as  pure  as  sea-water,  .'ind 
with  such  freedom  that  the  auxiliary  pump  speedily 
sucked.  It  was,  therefore,  stopped,  and  all  the  work 
was  brought  on  the  Sewell  pump  in  the  engine-room. 
To  our  great  relief  this,  running  at  the  rate  of  fifty 
strokes  a  minute,  held  the  water  in  check,  and  as  the 
ready  flow  of  water  aft  kept  the  fore  peak  much  drier, 
we  are  able  to  proceed  with  good  effect  in  the  plaster- 
ng  and  ramming  of  oakum.  Although  we  have  had 
to  work  hard  and  wait  patiently  for  results,  the  results 
have  come  at  last  and  give  us  good  heart  to  proceed. 


.It,     ' 


-!■  ! 


i  I  >  i 
'I. 


h  I'.l 


I 


1 

r 

1' 

''5 

1 

1 

t 

t     : 

f\ 

1 

i 
1 

ii 

1 

¥ 

m 

i  !;!!!!! 


234 


TLE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


Melville,  upon  calculating  the  work  done  by  this  pump, 
showed  that  it  was  pumping  out  ot"  the  ship  2,250  gal- 
lons per  hour,  and  holding  the  \vater  in  check.  This 
may  be  taken,  ther'.'fore,  as  the  amount  of  the  leak  to- 
day, which,  compared  with  the  amount  pumped  out 
per  hour  on  the  23d,  3, 363  gallons,  shows  that  we  have 
diminished  the  leak  over  one  third.  We  are  still  at 
work  at  the  spaces,  and  cannot  hope  to  get  the  work 
completed  so  as  to  try  tlie  Baxter  combination  bilge- 
pump  before  Friday  or  Saturday  night. 

January  2Sth,  Wednesday .  —  The  success  achieved 
by  the  filling  in  spaces  holds  good  to-day,  for  all  the 
pumping  has  been  done  by  the  Sewell-pump,  running 
fifty  strokes  per  minute,  at  which  rate  the  water  is  pro- 
vented  from  gaining  on  us.  Water  in  lire-room  bilge, 
eighteen  inches  at  eight  a.  m.,  seventeen  and  one  half 
inches  at  four  p.  m.,  and  sixteen  inches  at  midnight. 
Nindemann  and  Sweetman  worked  all  day  from  nine 
A.  M.  to  eleven  p.  m.  in  filling  up  spaces,  etc.,  and  they 
are  doing  a  marvelous  amount  of  work.  We  cut  holes 
tlirou«;h  the  ceihng  to-dav  above  the  berth  deck  to  get 
spaces  filled  in  above  the  water  line,  if  possible  ;  and  we 
are  slowly  but  surely  advancing  to  the  time  when  we 
can  try  if  the  Baxter  can  keep  us  dry  to  the  great  sav- 
ing of  our  coal  pile. 

The  ice  moved  at  G.15  A.  m.,  and  G.50  p.  m.,  in  the 
S.  W.  near  the  sliip,  and  caused  us  to  experience  a 
moderate  nip.  Except  from  the  snapping  and  crack- 
ing of  our  bolts  and  timbers,  we  are  not  disturbed. 
When  soundings  were  taken  to-day,  new  ice  to  the 
depth  of  eight  inches  had  to  be  cut  away,  the  result  of 
twenty-four  hours  direct  freezing.  The  tloe,  through 
which  the  hole  was  cut  originally,  h^ul  a  thickness  of 
twenty-four  inches  direct  freezing  since  January  19tli, 


!      i  if:,; 

1.     13 


THE   RETURN   OF   DAYLIGHT. 


235 


( , 


Ml  we 

s;iv- 


|ss  of 

.yth, 


for  this  was  one  of  the  water  lanes  opened  in  the  smash 
up  at  that  time. 

January  2dth,  Thursday.  —  I  am  able  to  record  a 
still  further  diminution  of  the  leak.  The  work  of  1111- 
ing  in  the  snaces  between  frames,  etc.,  has  proceeded 
all  day,  and  we  now  find  that  the  Sewell  puinp,  run- 
ning forty  strokes  a  minute,  has  been  able  to  hold  the 
wr'ter  in  check.  The  amount  of  water  pumped  out  has 
been  1,800  gallons  per  hour;  and  comparing  this  with 
the  2,250  gallons  per  hour  on  the  27th,  shows  that  two 
days'  work  by  Nindemann  and  Sweetman  has  dimin- 
ished our  leak  450  gallons  per  hour.  The  work  is  still 
proceeding.  In  order  still  further  to  economize  coal  a 
stove  was  started  in  the  deck-house  to-day  instead  of 
continuing  a  fire  in  the  Baxter.  Heat  is  necessary  to 
save  the  spar  deck  bilge-pump  from  freezing,  but  when 
we  can  save  it  by  burning  fifty  pounds  a  day  instead  of 
one  hundred  pounds,  we  are  bound  to  save  the  fifty. 

January  oO(h,  Friday.  —  Nindemann  and  Sweetman 
continue  their  slow  and  tedious  job  of  stuthng  plaster 
of  Paris  and  ashes  in  the  spaces  between  frames,  etc. 
The  water,  being  unable  to  get  abaft  the  fillings  read- 
ily, rises  between  the  frames  and  the  outside  planking 
and  trickles  out  under  the  berth  deck  at  the  shelf.  Still 
we  are  gaining  on  the  leak,  and  1  hope  that  when  we 
get  the  spaces  filled  up  inside  to  a  level  with  the  water 
outside,  and  have  choked  up  the  limber  holes  in  the 
cant  frames  (for  I  believe  they  exist),  so  that  we  have 
got  a  ready  means  of  passage  interrupted,  we  shall  be 
able  to  keep  water  out  of  her  to  a  reasonable  extent 
by  the  use  of  the  spar  deck  bilge-pump  connected  with 
the  Bnx*^er  boiler. 

Melville,  with  his  never-failing  readiness  of  resource, 
has  commenced  a  piece  of  work  by  which  he  will  run  a 


I 


;  E 


.J.  3 


!'! 


!  ■ 

J! 

i 
i  ■ 

If, 

i! 

t 

!^ 

■      (1 


I 


n 


( if 


mi      M 


m 


1 

1 

III 

j 

1' 

i4 

j 

236 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


bilge-pump  belonging  to  the  main  engine  by  the  steam- 
cutter's  engine  and  boiler^  so  that  if  he  can  pump  out 
the  bulk  ot  the  water  forward  by  the  Baxter  rig,  he 
can  take  care  of  what  comes  aft  with  the  steam-cutter's 
rig.  We  are,  of  course,  husbanding  our  fuel  to  the 
utmost,  and  since  stopping  the  auxiliary  pump  have 
greatly  reduced  our  expenditure.  Sounded  at  noon  in 
twenty-nine  and  one  half  fathoms,  muddy  bottom.  A 
slight  drift  indicated  to  N.  W.  Early  daylight  at  6.30. 
Upon  cutting  through  the  ice  for  soundings  ten  inches 
growth  in  one  day  had  to  be  cut  away.  At  five  p.  m. 
a  slight  ice  movement  occurred  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  to  southward  of  the  ship,  causing  her  to  experi- 
ence a  moderate  nip.  At  5.40  a  meteor,  in  falling  from 
S.  towards  S.  W.,  showed  a  blue  colored  light.  At 
seven,  faint  auroral  gleams  in  N.  At  eleven  and  mid- 
night, a  lunar  halo  6°  in  diameter,  showing  prismatic 
colors ;  and  at  the  last  named  hour  a  faint  auroral  arch 
from  E.  to  W.  60^  in  altitude  to  northward.  Tempera- 
ture fluctuating ;  beginning  at  minus  36''  it  goes  down 
to  minus  4T,  and  ends  the  day  at  minus  39°. 

We  are  certainly  having  enough  cold  weather  this 
month,  but  since  the  sun  came  back  we  do  not  mind  it 
much.  The  pleasure  of  being  out  in  the  sunlight  will 
make  us  forget  the  cold.  But  generally  we  have  had 
light  airs  about  noon  since  old  Sol's  return,  and  by 
looking  out  for  our  noses  we  can  "-o  about  with  im- 
p  unity. 

January  31s^,  Saturday.  —  The  day  opens  and  con- 
tinues pleasant  and  clear,  except  a  haze  which  hangs 
around  the  horizon.  \i  one  \.  m.  a  lunar  halo  was  ob- 
served, 6°  in  diameter,  and  showing  prismatic  colors.  (I 
have  remarked  that  these  lunar  halos  are  with  us  al- 
most positive  evidence  of  ice  openings  in  our  neighbor- 


THE  RETURN  OF   DAYLIGHT. 


237 


own 

this 

ind  it 

will 

had 

I  by 

iui- 

con- 


laugs 


IS  al- 
libor- 


hood ;  the  liberation  of  water  at  a  temperature  of  29" 
or  30°  to  the  action  of  the  air  at  minus  29°  or  minus 
30°  always  occasions  a  mist,  which,  rising  by  natural 
laws,  interposes  between  us  and  the  moon  and  causes 
us  to  see  that  luminary  dimly.  As  its  distance  from  us 
increases  it  forms  the  halo.  Snow  dust  occasions  a  sim- 
ibi  phenomenon  with  the  same  peculiarity  of  color.) 
At  eleven  the  sun  was  about  3°  above  the  horizon,  be- 
ing much  raised  by  refraction.  At  six  a.  m.  faint  auro- 
ral arches  or  bands  shedding  diffused  light. 

We  succeeded  to-day  in  thawing  the  delivery-pipe  in 
the  ship's  side,  so  as  to  discharge  the  water  through  it 
instead  of  pumping  it  through  the  fire  connection  on 
deck,  and  that  saves  us  from  a  steady  fear  of  the  hose 
freezing  up. 

February  \st,  Sunday.  —  We  ended  the  month  of 
January  with  the  steam-pump  going,  and  we  com- 
menced the  new  month  of  February  in  like  manner. 
The  steam-pump  is  kept  going  all  day,  and  although  it 
is  the  only  one  woi-king  manages  to  hold  the  water  in 
check,  going  forty  strokes  a  minute,  equivalent  to  pump- 
ing out  of  the  ship  2,250  gallons  an  hour. 

At  midnight,  ending  this  day,  Nindemann  and  Sweet- 
man  had  managed  to  clear  the  limbers  completely  on 
one  side  of  the  ship  chock  aft  to  the  fire-room,  and  in 
consequence  the  water  flows  aft  as  freely  as  it  enters. 
At  one  p.  M.  the  Articles  of  War  were  read  and  the  men 
mustered,  after  which  I  inspected  the  ghip.  Of  course, 
everything  forward  was  damp  and  disagreeable,  but  we 
can  hope  for  no  better  luck  with  two  thousand  two 
hundred  and  fifty  gallons  coming  into  her  per  hour. 
At  1.30  I  read  divine  service  in  the  cabin.  At  eleven 
A.  M.  an  Arctic  fox  (white)  was  seen  close  to  the  ship. 
The  dogs  wnit  for  it,  and  the  poor  thing  ran  for  the 


Hi:- 


/it   i- 


238 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


w  \ 


I 


I  i 

, 

»i 

i    i 

■ 

■ 

si;: 

!    1 

»; 

1    1 

Ik 

ill-i 

giing-plank,  as  if  to  come  on  board  for  protection. 
A'.exey,  however,  met  it  with  his  rifle  and  killed  it. 
In  its  stomach  were  found  some  lemmings'  tails  and 
nothing  else.  Immediately  thereafter  a  bear  appeared, 
and  Chipp  succeeded  in  killing  it,  and  to  my  great  sat- 
isfaction we  have  again  fresh  meat  hanging  in  the  rijjc- 
ging.  The  bear  weighs  about  four  hundred  pounds, 
and  its  stomach  is  absolutely  empty.  I  hail  with  great 
satisfaction  this  evidence  of  animal  life,  for  it  will 
enable  me  to  make  a  very  acceptable  change  from  our 
canned  meat  diet.  In  connection  with  this  subject,  I 
may  as  well  remark  here  that  beyond  a  doubt  canned 
fresh  meat  is  far  superior  to  salt  provisions.  But  it 
requires  a  greater  amount  to  satisfy  hunger,  and  one 
soon  becomes  weary  of  it  because  of  its  tastelessness. 
All  canned  meat  se^ms  to  taste  alike.  Such  a  thing 
as  canned  turkey  and  canned  chicken  is  a  delusion 
and  a  snare.  There  is  such  a  hopeless  confusion  of 
smashed  bones  and  small  pieces  of  meat  that  we  have 
unanimously  called  the  resulting  dish,  a  ''  railroad  ac- 
cident." 

At  nine  p.  m.  a  meteor  was  observed  falling  from 
N.  E.  to  E.  At  ten  tlie  ice  commenced  to  grind  and 
move,  the  general  direction  of  the  movement  being 
from  S.  to  N.  At  midnight  the  sky  became  suddenly 
completely  overcast  and  while  I  was  concluding  that 
this  sudden  darkness  was  due  to  ice  openings  presenting 
warmer  water  to  cold  air,  my  conclusions  were  verified 
by  the  ship  receiving  some  severe  nips.  A  careful  ex- 
amination of  the  surrounding  ice  showed  no  sign  of  dis- 
turbance, nor  was  there  a  sound  of  movement  any- 
where. But  I  am  satisfied  that  there  was  an  ice  opening 
somewhere  near  the  ship. 

Fthruury  2d,  Monday.  —  Upon  calling  me  this  morn- 


THE   ItETURN   OF   DAYLUIIIT. 


239 


ing,  the  .steward 


I  thing 


from 
id  and 
being 
Lldenly 
ff  that 
enting 
oritied 
ul  ex- 
of  dis- 
any- 
|)ening 

I  morn- 


informed  me  that  another  bear  had 
been  killed,  '•  and  that  he  had  tried  to  get  in  the  deck- 
house." Supposing  that  we  had  become  careless  in 
lookout,  or  the  bears  had  made  an  invasion,  1  turned 
out  and  inquired.  The  facts  were  that  a  bear  had  come 
near  the  ship  at  seven  a.  m.,  his  presence  being  denoted 
by  the  dogs  retreating  on  board  in  a  body  and  manning 
the  rail,  barking  at  his  bear.ship.  While  the  quarter- 
master was  f^imunoning  Chipp,  the  bear,  attracted  by 
the  meat  of  his  brother  already  hung  up  to  a  girtline, 
attempted  to  climb  up  the  ship's  side  to  get  on  top  of 
the  deck-house,  but  fell  back.  Seeing  the  gangway 
board,  and  recognizing  its  use  no  doubt,  he  was  about 
to  nuirch  up  it,  when  Mr.  Dunbar  appeared  at  the  rail 
and  liio'!  at  him.  The  bear,  wounded  onl}^,  made  off, 
and  the  dogs  followed  him.  He  sat  down  to  keep  the 
dogs  at  bay  with  his  fore  paws,  bleeding  very  freely, 
and  in  that  position  Mr.  Dunbar  dispatched  him.  He 
was  eight  feet  one  inch  long  and  weighed  nine  hun- 
dred pounds,  forming  a  w'clcome  addition  and  change 
to  our  larder.  His  stomach  contained  several  small 
stones  resembling  pieces  of  .slate,  and  nothing  else. 
Alexey  while  out  this  morning  .saw  a  walrus,  and 
brought  back  a  .^hell  which  he  had  heaved  up.  For  a 
wonder  Alexey  w^as  without  his  gun,  i.r  else  we  might 
have  laid  in  a  supply  of  dog  food.  Our  fish,  except 
forty  days'  rations  packed  on  the  sleds,  is  all  gone,  be- 
ing finished  to-day,  and  we  must  now  commence  on  our 
prepared  dog  food  of  meat  and  bones  supplied  by  Mr. 
Newman  at  St.  Michael's.  We  find  considerable  break.s 
in  the  ice  near  the  ship  this  morning,  accounting  for 
the  sudden  cloudiness  and  ha/e  at  midnight  last  niy;ht, 

Melville   keeps  on  making   the   cond)iniitiou   of   the 
steam-cutter's  engine  and  boiler  to  the  bilge-pump  of 


if: 


ij 


t 


! 


\U: 


Ir"  ■•!■ 


!f'l 


tf  I    ;       f 


;  , 


i      >   ::■! 

:' ; 

'!    ¥^ 

n 

, 

f 

if 


H 

i' 

f! 

1  1 

[i 

V  . 

■  1 .  i  1  '■'  ■ 

i  1 

1  1 

iJ 

■  "^  ■' 

ii : 

240 


THE  YOY'AGE   OF  THE   JEANNETTE. 


the  main  engine.  He  tried  the  combination  to-day, 
using  steam  from  the  main  boiler,  and  found  that  the 
engine  had  to  rim  so  fast  to  develop  the  necessary 
power  to  work  the  pump  without  the  engine  catching 
on  the  centre  that  the  piunp  was  driven  too  fast  to  lift 
any  water.  Hence  he  has  to  make  a  gearing  to  regu- 
late the  work  of  the  pump,  and,  energetic  as  he  is,  to 
see  an  improvement  is  to  commence  to  make  it.  At 
one  r.  m.  the  ice  began  to  move,  and  from  that  time 
until  eight  p.  m.  we  were  getting  nips  and  pressures 
at  a  few  moments'  interval.  We  are  so  accustomed 
to  these  alarms  now  that  we  take  them  quietly,  thank- 
ful when  they  end,  and  knowing  we  are  helpless  pend- 
ing their  duration. 

February  4  th,  Wednesday.  —  The  Sewell  pump  is 
kept  going  all  day  as  usual,  but  we  find  that  by  run- 
ning it  thirty-five  strokes  a  minute  we  hold  the  water 
in  check  ;  that  is,  keep  it  at  a  uniform  depth  of  sixteen 
inches  in  the  fire-room.  We  have  reduced  the  amount 
of  leak  282  gallons  an  hour  within  the  last  few  days, 
and  1.695  gallons  an  hour  since  the  first  occurrence. 
Were  it  not  for  the  expenditure  of  fuel  we  should  be 
doing  first  rate ;  but  when  we  burn  1,200  pounds  of 
coal  a  day,  and  have  only  eighty-five  tons  left  to-day, 
it  is  not  only  a  matter  of  simple  calculation  to  find  out 
how  long  it  will  last,  but  it  seems  to  make  our  staying 
out  another  winter  a  matter  of  considerable  doubt.  We 
are  driving  ahead,  trying  to  hurry  up  the  steam-cutter 
arrangement,  ho])ing,  while  the  Baxter  pumps  forward, 
the  cutter-engine  will  pump  out  aft,  and  let  us  do  away 
with  fires  under  the  main  boiler.  This  will  reduce  our 
coal  expenditure  fifty  per  cent.  Nindemann  and  Sweet- 
man  have  about  finished  the  filling  in  business,  watch- 
ing their  work  now  to  ram  in  )iiore  ashes  as  fast  as  old 
fillings  settle. 


! 


I 


THE   RETURN  OF   DAYLIGHT. 


241 


taymg- 
We 
cutter 
I'ward, 
(  juvay 
3e  our 
5weot- 
^atcli- 
las  old 


The  surgeon  hands  me  in  the  report  of  his  monthly 
examination.  The  men  are  generally  in  good  condi- 
tion, and  there  is  some  falling  off  among  the  officers  in 
weight.  Danenhower's  case  is  pronounced  a  very  crit- 
ical one,  it  being  a  matter  of  certainty  almost  that  he 
will  lose  the  sight  of  his  left  eye.  The  condition  of 
the  officers  is  classed  thus :  excellent,  one  ;  good,  live  ; 
fair,  one  ;  poor,  one.  Of  the  twenty-three  men,  excel- 
lent, eighteen  ;  good,  live ;  and  the  natives  are  in  ex- 
cellent health.  We  commenced  to  get  our  provisions 
in  some  kind  of  order  on  the  quarter  deck  and  in  the 
deck-house.  When  the  leak  occurred,  everything  was 
hurriedly  broken  out  of  the  hold  and  store-rooms  for- 
ward and  placed  anywhere. 

February  ^th,  Thwsddt/.  —  The  Sewell  pump  is  kept 
going  all  day  at  the  rate  of  thirty-five  strokes  a  minute, 
holding  the  water  In  check  with  that  work ;  sixteen 
inches  of  water  stand  in  the  lire-room  bilge  all  day. 
Lest  any  one  should  read  this  journal  without  my  being 
on  hand  to  explain  the  question,  Why  is  not  the  sixteen 
inches  pumped  out  at  once,  and  the  ship  kept  dry  at 
the  rate  of  thirty-five  strokes  of  the  pmnp  per  minute? 
it  may  as  well  be  answered  here :  The  ship  is  heeled 
3°  to  starboard,  and  naturally  the  greatest  accumula- 
tion of  water  takes  p\ice  on  that  side.  But  the  suction 
of  the  Sewell  pump  is  on  the  port  side  of  the  keelson, 
and  the  only  connnunication  from  one  bilge  to  the  other 
is  by  a  small  hole  about  large  enough  for  a  piece  of 
eighteen  thread  ratline  stuff  to  reeve  through.  We 
tried  to  bore  larger  holes,  but  the  keelson  is  so  full  of 
bolts  and  fastenings  as  to  stop  us.  Hence  the  water 
must  be  allowed  to  rise  until  it  will  flow  over  the  keel- 
son to  port,  in  order  to  take  it  out  by  the  Sewell  pump. 

Melville  keeps  driving  ahead  at  his  combination  of 
16 


i 


I 


!ir 


$1' 


THE  VOYAGK   OF   THE  JEANNETTE. 


iff 


!;      ■    '       I 


Pillili'i 


It 

i 

ml- 

the  liteani-cutter's  engine  ^vitll  the  bilge-pnnip  of  the 
main  engine.  Everything  now  is  waiting  for  tliat.  It 
is  possible  that  I  might  pnmp  all  the  water  out  by  the 
power  of  the  Baxter  engine  connection  with  the  for- 
ward spar-deck  bilge-pump  (or,  at  all  events,  keep  a 
good  control  over  the  leak),  were  it  not  that  some  water 
would  come  aft  to  the  water-tight  bulkhead.  If  this 
is  not  pumped  out  it  will  at  once  freeze,  indess  a  lire 
is  kept  going  to  heat  up  the  engine-room  wdiile  it 
is  pumped  out  by  hand.  Pumping  by  hand  will  use  up 
my  crew,  and  should  we  be  ol)liged  to  leave  the  ship  in 
a  sudden  smash-up,  1  would  have  an  exhausted  body 
of  men  to  lead  over  the  ice  two  hundred  miles  to  a  set- 
tlement. If  the  water  freezes  in  the  ship,  more  danuige 
may  be  done  in  a  day  thnnwe  could  repair  in  a  month. 
To  keep  up  fire  enough  to  prevent  its  freezing  while 
we  pumped  by  hand,  would  use  u})  as  much  coal  as  is 
now  required  for  the  main  boiler.  Hence  the  wisdom 
of  burning  that  amount  of  coal  in  the  manner  whicii 
will  save  exhausting  the  men.  H  the  steam-cutter's 
engine  will  do  the  work  with  the  Baxter  boiler  forward 
doing  its  share,  we  shall  save  one  half  our  fuel,  or  in 
other  words,  make  it  last  twice  as  long. 

From  nine  a.  m.  until  three  p.  ^r.  tiie  north  side  of 
Wrangel  Land  was  in  sight.  Measuring  with  the  sex- 
tant from  the  sun  at  noon  we  get  the  following  bear- 
ings:  Most  eastern  visible  extremity  of  land  S.  13°  W., 
most  western  visil)le  exti'emity  S.  21°  W.,  direction  of 
ship's  head  S.  49°  W.  It  is  quite  evident  to  me  that 
but  a  portion  of  the  land  was  seen  this  time,  for  upon 
other  occasions  it  covered  a  much  greater  angle,  and  our 
change  of  position,  in  the  mean  time,  has  been  toward 
it  instead  of  away  from  it.  Early  dawn  at  six.  At 
eleven  the  ice  was  in  motion  to  the  S.  E. 


i 


THE   RETURN  OF   DAYLIGHT. 


24; 


[ide  of 
[e  sex- 
bear- 
W., 
lion  of 
that 
upon 
k(l  our 
bvvarcl 
At 


Fehniary  (Jth,  FrUUiy.  —  The  rig  whereby  the  steam- 
cutter's  engine  it  is  hoped  will  work  the  bilge-pump 
attached  to  main  engine  being  finished,  trial  is  h.id  of 


it  to-dav,  getting  steam  from  the  main 


boil 


er 


1 


im 


sorry  to  say  the  trial  is  unsatisfactory.  The  engine  is 
not  powerful  enough  to  do  the  work  which  the  pump 
is  prepared  for.  A  description  of  the  apparatus  may 
well  come  in  here.  On  the  shaft  of  the  steam-cutter's 
engine  is  secured  a  wooden  pulley  six  inches  in  diameter. 
Above  it  is  secured  a  frame  and  shaft  to  the  hanging 
coal  bunker,  and  on  the  shaft  is  phiced  another  wooden 
pulley  eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  Around  the  two 
pulleys  is  an  endless  belt.  On  the  end  of  the  ujiper 
shaft  is  a  crank,  which,  by  a  connecting  rod,  works  a 
break  attached  to  the  bilge-pump.  Theoretically  it 
ought  to  work,  but  prjictically  it  does  not,  for  this  rea- 
son :  The  discharge  pipe  of  the  pump  is  long,  and  has 
many  angles  })efore  it  reaches  the  ship's  side.  The 
pump  being  a  force-pump  of  six  inches  stroke,  and  the 
engine  being  four  and  a  half  by  six  inches,  were  the 
delivery  at  the  pump,  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  ;  but 
as  the  delivery  has  to  be  made  through  a  simious  pipe 
one  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter,  the  water  chokes  in 
the  pi[  .  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  little  engine 
struggle  and  labor,  and  occasionally  come  to  a  stand. 
Greater  steam  pressure  would  force  the  water  no  doubt, 
but  the  little  engine  would  not  stand  the  racket.  While 
Melville  was  trying  hi  everyway  to  solve  the  dithculty, 
it  was  discovered  that  the  delivery  in  the  ship's  side 
was  frozen,  and  while  we  were  thawing  it  out  the  day 
ended.  Should  no  better  result  occur,  Melville  will  go 
to  work  to  make  the  pump  smaller  by  inserting  two 
small  plungers  and  filling  it  with  Babbitt's  metal.  The 
day  opens  and  continues  line.     Temperature  increases 


i  > 

i 


244 


THE   VOYAGE  OF  Till.'  .lEANNETTE. 


■1      ( 


i:  ;i|jfi 


^1 

3  1  t 

1       •       ,,  'i 

from  minus  32''  to  minus  23°,  and  falls  attain  to  minus 
2G°.  Eii^lit  inches  of  ico  formed  over  sounding  hole 
since  yesterday.  Upon  attemptinu^  to  measure  the 
present  thickness  of  the  floe,  which,  on  the  4th,  Avas 
five  feet  four  inches  thick,  it  was  found  that  jniother 
floe  had  shoved  in  under  it.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
has  heen  the  case  all  around  us,  and  that  perhaps  our 
controlling  the  leak  has  been  due  to  the  underlying 
flo(!s  of  ice  luiiting  by  freezing  and  lowering  the  water 
head  in  the  vicinity  of  the  leak.  If  that  be  the  case, 
we  shall  have  our  hands  full  again  at  a  breaking  up. 

Februciri/  7th,  Saturday/.  —  1  remarked  in  yesterday's 
journal  that  we  discovered  the  pipe  of  the  main  engine 
bilge-pump  frozen  solid,  and  tluit  while  we  were  thaw- 
ing it  the  day  closed.  At  the  same  time  the  crank  was 
shortened  so  as  to  diminish  the  stroke  of  the  steam- 
cutter's  engine.  Evervthiuii;  bi.'ino;  in  readiness  we  gave 
the  rig  another  trial,  but  it  would  not  work  satisfacto- 
rily. True,  it  did  pump  water,  but  with  such  jerky 
and  labored  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  engine  that  we 
could  readily  see  it  was  being  overtaxed.  The  pump 
was  too  hwffQ  for  the  entjjine.  The  rijj"  was  tiierefore 
discontinued,  while  Melville  put  his  people  at  work  to 
bousli  the  puuip  with  Babbitt's  metal,  and  insert  a 
smaller  plunger,  converting  a  single-acting  piston-pump 
of  six  inches  diameter  into  a  single-acting  plunger-pump 
of  three  inches  diameter.  This  will  take  a  couple  of 
days,  and  in  the  mean  time  steam  must  be  kept  on  the 
main  boiler.  At  the  end  of  the  day  I  am  thinking  of 
trying  the  Baxter  pump  alone. 

At  nine  the  sun  was  raised  a  full  diameter  above  the 
horizon  by  refraction.  Extraordinary  mirage  from  nine 
imtil  afternoon.  Extremely  variable  winds,  at  times 
shifting  sixteen  points  at  once.     Mirage   affected  by 


THE   KETURN  OF  DAYLTGIIT. 


245 


shifts  of  wind.     Wrangel  Land  sit^lited  S.  by  W.     At 
two  it  was  much  raised  by  refraction  and  invortcd  by 


mu'agc. 


Februarji  ^th,  Sunday.  —  Upon  inspecting  tlie  sliip  at 
noon  to-day  I  found  the  temperature  in  tlie  deck-house 
to  be  18°,  and  lest  our  bilge-pumps  should  freeze  be- 
yond our  control,  I  ordered  a  fire  to  be  lighted  under 
the  Baxter  boiler.  As  it  will  be  several  days  before  the 
work  is  finished  which  Melville  has  on  hand,  1  thought 
this  would  be  a  good  chance  to  see  whether  we  could 
control  the  leak  by  the  Baxter  and  the  bilge-pump 
alone.  Accordingly  when  steam  was  ready  in  the  Bax- 
ter we  closed,  or  rather  attempted  to  close,  the  gates 
in  the  water-tight  bulkhead.  The  port  gate  went  down 
all  rigiit,  but  the  starboard  one  seemed  to  be  out  of 
gear,  for  we  could  not  get  it  down  all  the  ^\  >iy,  nor 
open  it  wide.  To  get  at  the  gates,  access  must  be  had 
to  a  little  space  between  the  after  bulkhead  of  the  fore- 
hold  and  the  forward  side  of  the  coal  bunker.  We  com- 
menced to  break  out  the  provisions  and  other  stores 
with  which  this  space  is  filled.  The  work  of  pumping 
the  water,  up  to  three  p.  m.,  had  been  done  by  running 
the  Sewell  pump  thirty-rive  strokes  per  minute.  When 
the  Baxter  commenced  to  run,  the  Sewell  was  put  in 
operation  only  fifteen  minutes  in  every  hour.  But  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  bilge-pump  suction  is 
six  inches  from  the  bottom,  and  that  the  water  has  to 
How  over  the  keelson  in  the  fire-room  before  the  pump 
can  take  it.  Our  experiment  has  come  to  nothing,  be- 
cause, owing  to  leaky  gate,  water  will  How  aft  into  fire- 
room,  and  a  pump  must  bo  kept  going  there. 

1  found  the  ship  in  as  orderly  a  condition  as  could  be 
expected  under  the  circumstances.  Everything  being 
broken  out  from  below  forward,  had  to  be  piled  up  in 


I  •■! 


It"  1 


240 


TIIK    V(»V.\(;K   of   the  .TKANNKl'TK. 


■ 

1 

i 

jt      ■  1  >  K-  '       I 

1 

1 

n^  Mw 


\i- 


tlio  (k'ck-lioii.so  iiiid  on  the  quarter  dock.  The  hortli 
deck  was  damp,  considerable  moisture  standinj^  on  tlie 
beams  overliead.  Until  ibis  injury  to  tlio  .sbip  tbe  crew 
nhviiys  bad  tbe  deck-bouse  to  go  to  for  a  cbanf^e,  but 
now  most  of  tbe  time  lias  to  be  passed  on  tbe  bertb 
deck  because  tbe  deck-bouse  is  lull.  Witb  a  tempera- 
ture ranging  between  minus  40'  and  minus  47"  tbey 
cannot  be  sent  out  tor  very  long  from  tbe  sbip,  and  as 
there  is  no  oi)en  water  we  bave  no  seals  to  occupy  our 
attention.     Kead  divine  service  in  tbe  cabin. 

We  are  being  favored  with  beautiful  weatber.  It  is 
so  long  since  we  bave  bad  a  strong  wind  tbat  I  cannot 
remember  wben  we  had  our  last.  Tbe  sun  shows  up 
brightly  day  after  day,  the  daylight  grows  longer  stead- 
ily, lasting  now  from  seven  A.  m.  to  live  r.  m..  the  nights 
are  })right  with  starlight,  the  ice  seems  quiet,  and  were 
it  not  for  cold  snaps  that  keep  us  shut  up,  wi>  should 
get  over  many  a  mile  of  ice  in  exeivise,  in  celebration 
of  our  farewell  to  our  Arctic  night.  Cbipp  and  ni3'self 
still  stand  our  twelve-hour  watches ;  be  from  four 
A.  M.  to  four  p.  M..  and  1  from  four  v.  :si.  to  four  a.  m. 
This  is  rather  wearing,  for  it  obliges  me  to  turn  part  of 
our  day  into  night  in  order  to  get  enough  sleep,  but  as 
Danenbower  is  still  hors  de  comhaf,  there  is  no  one  to 
make  share  it —  unless  I  include  Dunbar,  and  I  do  not 
do  so,  because,  in  the  critical  condition  of  things  I  am 
of  opinion  that  some  one  should  be  around  at  all  times 
with  full  authority  to  act  promptly  and  decidedly,  and 
the  fewer  people  have  that  authority  the  better. 

Tbe  day  began  and  continues  clear  and  pLiasant,  but 
with  considerable  haze  around  the  horizon.  Winds  be- 
ginning at  N.  W.  back  to  W.  Barometer  begins  29. 93 
and  rises  to  30.04  ;  the  temperature  begins  minus  42°, 
and  by  nine  a.  m.  reaches  minus  49.5°,  when  mercmial 


THE  RETURN  OF   DAVLTOIIT. 


24' 


thermomptors  dcHino  to  work  lon«^er  and  the  ineroiiry 
fi'oezoH  solid;  spirit  tiiermomcter  No.  4,402,  at  that  time 
reads  minus  4V  and  goes  down  2"  more  before  end  of 
day.  As  the  spirit  thermometers  are  not  reliable  it  is 
safe  to  assert  that  it  has  been  to-day  below  minus  50'. 

An  alarming  amount  of  carbonic  acid  gas,  o.o()4  vol- 
umes per  thousand,  or  .5o04  per  cent.,  was  found  on 
the  berth  deck  at  eleven  v.  m.  Seeking  for  a  cause  1 
found  that  in  the  press  of  things  requiring  our  atten- 
tion of  late,  the  iron  ventilating  ])ipe  over  the  berth 
deck  skylight  had  not  been  kept  clear  of  ice,  being  in 
fact  chock  full  of  a  solid  nuiss,  and  elfectually  prevent- 
ing the  exit  of  foul  air  or  the  entrance  of  fresh  air. 
Had  it  cleared. 

Fehintary  dth,  Mondcni.  —  There  is  very  little  to  re- 
cord to-day  in  the  form  of  a  change.     Resuming  work 
early  this  morning  we  broke  out  all  the  provisions  and 
other  stores  contained  in  the  little  store-room,  between 
fore  hold  and  coal  bunkers,  in  order  to  get  at  the  ilood- 
gates.    We  found  that  the  port  gate  was  tightly  closed, 
and  that  no  water  flowed   through  on  that  side.     On 
the  starboard  side,   however,  the  case  was   different. 
Owing  to  an  accumulation  of  rust  and  dirt,  the  long- 
rod  from  the  spar  deck  extending  to  the  end  of  the 
screw  thread  on  the  spindle  working  the  gate  failed  to 
bite  the  screw  thread,  so  that  turn  the  rod  as  we  might , 
it  would   neither  close   nor  open  the  gate.     Clearing 
away  the  dirt  and  rust  we  finally  got  the  gate  shut, 
but  found  that  enough  water  leaked  through  into  the 
engine-room  to  require  the  Sew'ell  pump  to  bo  ke})t 
running  iifteen  minutes  every  hour.     However  we  are 
holding  our  own.     This  experiment  had  to  be  tried  be- 
fore we  attempted  to  rely  on  the  steam-cutter  engine 
doing  the  work  which  might  escape  from  the  Baxter 


\^m 


'.i 


Hiji 


i 

i 


m 


248 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEAXXETTE. 


tti 


pump.  We  are  satisfied  that  it  can,  and  now  we  imist 
see  it"  our  iuita  can  be  made  so  tight  as  to  make  the 
Bitxter  eiii/ine  do  all  the  work.  To  get  at  the  gate  we 
have  to  rip  up  a  heavy  flooring  and  that  takes  time. 

Febrnarij  l{jfh.  Tuesday.  —  Upon  getting  down  to 
the  gates  in  the  water-tight  bidivhead  we  found  that 
the  starboard  one  was  neither  broken  nor  sprung,  both 
seeming  perfectly  tight,  that  is,  no  leak  was  apparent 
through  them.  There  must,  therefore,  be  some  leak 
through  between  the  frames  and  the  planking  to  ac- 
count for  the  water  finding  its  way  abaft  this  bulkhead, 
but  as  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  get  at  its  exact  locality, 
we  can  as  yet  see  no  way  of  remedying  it.  By  run- 
ning the  Sewell  pump  sometimes  five  and  sometimes 
ten  minutes  every  hom-,  we  hold  the  water  in  check  in 
the  lire-rooui  bilge  ;  while  as  fast  as  the  v/ater  banks 
up  forward  of  the  water-tight  bulkhead  it  is  pumped 
out  I)y  the  bilge-pump  run  by  the  Baxter  engine.  This 
is,  however,  kept  running  nearly  all  the  time. 

February  Vlth,  Thursday.  —  Although  miable  to  find 
any  leak  through  the  Avator-tight  bulkhead,  the  carpen- 
ters (Xindemann  and  iSweetman)  have  been  employed, 
touching  and  filling  up  all  doubtful  places.  By  the 
stupidity  of  one  ol'  the  firemen  (Boyd)  we  were  able 
this  morning  to  decide  that  the  leak  does  not  jceur  in 
the  bulkhead  itself  or  through  the  gates.  In  ordrr  to 
keep  the  Baxter  boiler  from  choking  up  with  .sdt  it  is 
our  hiibit  to  blow  it  out  once  in  twelve  hours.  BetVre 
blowing  out  the  fires  are  hauled,  and  new  ones  built 
when  required.  Boyd  attempted  to  blow  out  without 
ascertaining  whether  the  out-board  delivery  pipe  was 
clear  or  frozen.  As  a  consequence,  the  pipe  being  frozen, 
so  much  time  was  losi  before  the  ])ump  could  be  started 
again,  that  thirty  inches  water  had  accumulated  t'or- 


i  4_ 


THE  Ri-rrrRN  of  daylight. 


240 


word  of  the  water-tight  bulkhead,  and  then  Nindoniann 
heard  a  noise  of  water  falling  like  an  overflow,  while 
lie  was  abaft  the  bulkhead.  Upon  exaniinhig,  and  Yif 
tening  attentively,  it  Mas  located,  as  exactly  as  couid 
be  under  the  circumstances,  as  coming  from  bet>veen 
the  planking  and  frames  outside  of  the  bulkhead  and 
abaft  of  it.  As  a  necessary  sequence  tlie  water  rose 
much  lii;>:her  in  the  Are-room 'bilge.  As  soon  as  the 
Baxter  boiler  could  be  got  to  work  again  the  water 
was  speedily  reduced  to  twenty-two  inches,  when  the 
overflow  ceased,  and  only  the  usual  small  amount,  that 
is,  one  hiilf  inch  per  hour  of  water,  found  its  way  aft 
into  the  fire-room.  The  stean^cutter's  boiler  being  in 
readiness,  steam  was  got  on  i^  to  run  the  steam-cutter's 
engine  in  connection  with  the  converted  bilge-pump 
of  the  main  engine,  'rhe  combinatio'.i  w  M'ked  well, 
pumping  out  dry  the  engine-room  bilge.  It  was  found, 
however,  that  tiie  furnace  of  the  cutter's  boiler  was 
too  small  to  keep  up  a  continuous  jnunping,  tlie  steam 
runnini;:  down  too  low  Avhencver  the  fire  was  cleaned 
or  the  boiler  was  being  ])umped  and  blown.  As  we 
want  to  be  sure  that  this  little  boiler  will  do  all  that  is 
expected  of  it,  and  sli.  11  be  in  its  most  efficient  state, 
ready  to  answer  aiiy  sudden  demand,  Melville  proposes 
to  cut  down  its  bridue  wall,  take  out  its  niiie-inch  grate 
l),n'.  and  insert  one  sixteen  inches  long,  thus  increasing 
its  grate  surface  from  144  square  inches  to  "J-j(i  square 
inches.  This  i><  immediately  connnenced,  and  to-ninr- 
row  I  hope  it  will  b^'  done,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  dis- 
pense \\ilh  tiie  main  l)oiler  altogether. 

A  bear  came  near  the  ship  at  seven  A.  M..  but  being 
frighteu(>d  by  the  dogs  made  his  escape  Ix't'ore  any  one 
could  u'et  a  shot  at  hiiu. 

Febriuii'i/  I'-jfh,  Frid'nj.  —  Comjileted  the  work  ol  re- 


!•'! 


m 


f 


It:: 


250 


TIIK    ^•()YAGI•:   OF    rilE  JKANXKTTK. 


moving  the  hridi^e  wall  of  steam-cutter's  furnace  and 
placing  in  the  furnace  sixteen-inch  grate  bars  instead 
oi"  nine-inch  ones.  Got  steam  on  the  cutter  boiler  again, 
and  found  upon  lengthened  trial  that  the  alteration  be- 
fore mentioned  niiide  it  possible  to  work  the  rig  con- 
tinuously to  nuiui  engine  bilge  jiunip,  and  thus  keep 
the  bilge  nearly  dry.  Hauled  the  fires  under  the  main 
boiler,  ran  all  the  water  from  it,  and  drained  out  all 
i'ugine  and  boiler-pipes  to  prevent  their  freezing,  and 
pumped  the  bilge  dry  with  the  steam-cutter's  rig. 

At  last  we  have  succeeded  in  reducing  our  fearful  ex- 
penditurc  of  fuel  to  a  reasonable  amount ;  400  pounds 
of  coal  a  day  will  now  run  our  two  steam-pumps,  and 
that  is  much  more  comfortinir  than  l)urning  1,000  or 
1,200  in  the  main  boiler  furna<<'s.  Knougli  water  ac- 
cu.nulates  forward  of  the  water-tight  l)ulkhead  to  re- 
quire the  steady  running  of  the  Baxicr  rig,  and  enough 
gets  aft  through  "between  frames"  to  occupy  the 
steam-cutter's  rig  continuously.  1'he  frew  were  kept 
busy  all  day  in  triimning  down  the  coal  in  the  after 
bunkers  so  as  to  get  a  place  ready  for  receiving  some 
of  o«r  provisions.  With  the  spar  deck  and  ded'-house 
all  lumbered  up,  we  slionld  be  in  a  fearful  me  .5  if  the 
ici-  were  to  heave  us  arouul,  and  1  have  concluded 
to  nuike  use  of  einpt\  .nnd  luuikers  as  provision  rooms. 
While  wati-r  is  coming  riU)  the  ship  forward  we  cannot 
restow  ii^  the  fore  hold  or  tloiur-rooni  anything  that 
would  i)e  injured  b}  dampness,  even  if  ])nidence  did 
not  dictate  keeping  those  places  clear  in  'li<-  "veut  of 
any  fresh  mishap.  Water  continues  to  mount  up  be- 
tween the  frames  and  planking  forward  of  oui  hulk- 
head  in  the  fore  peak,  and  trickles  out  along  Ih-^  \)o\'\h 
deck,  keeping  everything  damp  and  narty,  Nuuh- 
mann  and  Sweetman  keep  at  work  trying  to  stoji  ''uh 
by  [)utting  in  fresh  fillings  where  old  ones  have  setti'-d. 


M 


■t 


THE   UETUUN   OF   DAYLIGHT 


251 


Ileferrinj^  to  my  remarks  on  December  14th.  in  rela- 
tion to  Weypreeht  saying,  "  Beginning  at  a  certain 
thickness  the  ice  is  ahnost  free  from  salt,"  it  may  be 
as  well  to  state  here  the  result  ol"  our  examination  ot' 
the  ice  in  which  we  are  drifting.  A  piece  of  iloe  ice, 
formed  from  direct  freezing,  and  three  feet  nine  inches 
thick,  was  selected  for  examination.  The  following  are 
Dr.  Andjler's  figures  for  the  result  of  his  test  (Parke's 
test).    (See  Appendix.  E.) 

Numboi'  of  gniiiis  of  salt  per  gallon  of  sea- 

Wiitor  in]Uid 2045. 

Number  of  grains  of  salt  in  ciibt'  cnt  from 

upper  five  inches  of  our  block       ....       54S.06 
Numhi'r  of  grains  of   salt   in   cube,  cut  from 

lower  live  inches  of  our  hlock       ....       847.25 
Number  of  grains  t)f  salt  piM'missiblc  in  po- 

tal)le  water 10. 


From  which  it  will  be  seen  that  the  '•certain"  ibicknoss 
has  not  been  attainable  l)y  us,  for  we  cannot  lind  a  sin- 
gle piece  of  Hoe  from  which  we  can  get  potable  wntci, 
and  since  it  seems  never  to  snow  up  here  we  have  to 
distill  every  drop  ot  water  we  drink.  If.  as  Weyprecht 
say-,  tin  •  i(  is  all  crystalli/ed  out  during  the  winter 
and  wasbid  oif  (hning  the  sunnner,  the  u[)per  layers 
of  old  ice  remaiinng  ought  to  be  ircsh  ;  luit  in  our  ex- 
perience thes  were  as  salt  in  Se[)tend)er  last  as  flu* 
new  iioes  are  salt  now.  We  may  be  having  ])lienom- 
enal  ice,  but  T  hardly  think  so.  If  all,  or  nearly  all, 
the  salt  resulting  from  the  freezing  of  sea-water  comes 
to  the  surface  as  clUorcscence,  and  is  washed  off  into 
the  sea  during  tlic  following  sunnner;  and  if  the  ex- 
posed upper  ice  th(>n  melts  by  the  action  of  the  sun's 
rays  and  is  in  its  turii  frozen  in  the  fall,  squeezing  out 
again  a  small  residuum  of  salt,  1  can   understand  that 


h 


ll 


THE  VOYAGE   OF   THE  JEAXNETTE. 


if* 


I  .J 


the  refrozeii  ice  may  be  purer  than  the  ice  newly  made. 
IJiit  that  it  contains  less  than  ten  grains  of  salt  to  the 
gallon  I  am  not  so  ready  to  admit.  In  face  of  Wey- 
precht's  assertion,  1  do  not  intend  to  urge  that  he  was 
guided  by  taste  rather  than  chemical  test.  I  will  simply 
remark  that  we  have  not  been  able  to  find  ice.  old  or 
new,  surface  or  subaqueous,  that  would  be  water  proper 
for  men  to  use  continually.  Dr.  Morse,  of  the  Nare.s 
Expedition,  says,  in  his  testimony  before  the  Court  of 
Inquiry,  that  he  tested  the  water  obtained  from  the 
melting  of  ice  on  the  top  of  a  floeljerg  and ,  found  it 
pure.  The  inference  is  that  he  tested  it  analytically. 
But  I  have  had  an  idea  for  some  time  that  the  outbreak 
of  scurvy  on  board  the  English  ships  may  have  been 
due  to  the  continuous  use  of  water  which,  though  pure 
enough  to  the  taste,  was  uu(it  for  consuni])tion.  For 
instance,  I  find  that  our  washing  water,  which  is  ob- 
tained by  scraping  such  tioes  as  have  retained  or  ac- 
cumulated a  little  snow,  is  not  objectionable  to  the 
taste,  but  yet  it  contains  28. Go  grains  of  salt  to  the 
gallon,  and  would  be  highly  injurious  if  used  steadily. 
Since  the  occurrence  of  the  leak,  and  the  use  of  the 
Baxter  boiler  to  run  a  bilge-iunnp,  our  distilled  wate* 
has  been  made  bv  the  main  boiler.  As  this  was  shallow 
some  salt  was  carried  over  from  it  to  the  distiller,  and 
the  resulting  water  showed  lo.40  grains  of  salt  per  gal- 
lon. This,  of  course,  was  too  much,  but  we  have  l)een 
in  an  emergency  where  purer  water  was  not  possible. 
Now  that  we  have  hauled  the  fires  under  the  main 
boiler,  the  distilling  has  to  be  done  by  the  steam-cut- 
ter's boiler  when  it  is  not  piunping  the  bilge  out.  As 
this  boiler  is  fed  from  the  bilge,  the  driid<iug  water  is 
made  from  the  water  leaking  into  the  ship.  Until  we 
began  to  drink  it  we  were  under  the  impression  that  it, 


THE   KETUUN  OF   DAYLIGHT. 


258 


the  boiler  feed,  must  be  pure  salt  water,  for  so  iiuu-li 
water  has  flowed  into  the  ship  and  been  pumped  out 
that  our  bilges  are  as  clean  as  a  whistle.  But  tipon 
tasting  and  testing  it  we  find  it  has  an  luipleasaiit  taste 
and  odor.  With  sea  cocks  frozen  solid  in  their  seats, 
getting  a  supply  from  the  sea  was  no  easy  inattei' ;  and 
a  thawed  valve  soon  froze  hard  again  with  an  outside 
temperature  of  minus  oo^  to  minus  40^.  However, 
jMelville  managed  to  get  a  Kingston  valve  open,  so  that 
we  can  feed  our  little  boiler  from  pure  salt  water  and 
not  bilge  water,  and  now  I  do  not  anticipate  any  ditli- 
culty.  One  of  my  ideas  that  fresh  water,  tlxat  is,  fresh 
enough  water,  could  always  be  oljtaiiied  in  the  Arctic 
regions,  has  been  thoroughly  exploded. 

Fehruarij  l\th,  Saiiirdnij.  —  The  forward  spar  deck 
bilge-pump  is  kept  running  all  day.  The  steam-cutter's 
enuine,  runninji;  in  connection  with  the  main  enu'ine 
)ulge-pump,  is  used  about  one  sixth  of  the  time  to  piini[) 
out  the  iire-rooin  bilge,  and  the  remainder  of  the  time 
it  is  used  for  distilling  water  for  drinking  and  cooking- 
purposes. 

February  l^ith,  Sunday.  —  xVlthough  we  have  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  our  pumping  so  perfected  that  we  ciin 
hold  the  water  in  check  without  resorting  to  pumps 
worked  by  the  main  boiler,  our  troubles  are  not  ended 
yet.  The  water  has  succeeded  in  forcing  its  way  up  on 
the  berth  deck  on  the  port  side,  driving  through  the 
lining  between  the  frames.  As  a  cousec^uence,  the 
berth  deck  tbis  morning  was  wet  and  sloppy,  and  un- 
comfortable beyond  expression.  Sweetman  indelatiga- 
bly  set  to  work  again  to  put  in  more  lilling.  and  nt  the 
same  time  build  a  little  l)ulkl)i'ad  under  the  berths  to 
keep  the  WTtter  fi\)m  flowing  out  over  everything,  while 
a  hole  1)ured  in  the  deck  itsell!  will  let  it  oil'  into  the 


r 


254 


'illK   VOYAGE   OF   THE  JEANNETTE. 


li^lil 


I'oiv  poiik.  This,  at  all  oveiits,  is  what  he  is  under- 
taking; but  it!  not  innnediately  successful,  I  shall  bore 
through  the  ceiling  below  and  let  the  water  come  out 
into  the  fore  peak  directly.  Men  cannot  keep  their 
lioalth  in  the  wet  and  damp  now  on  our  berth  deck. 
Tlie  drip  tiom  condensation  is  also  very  bad,  the  two 
forward  and  two  after  berths  requiring  rubber  blan- 
kets suspended  over  them  to  save  the  bedding  from 
getting  wet.  Verily,  all  our  troubles  are  coming  upon 
us  at  once. 

Usual  Sunday  inspection  at  one,  and  divine  service  at 
l.oO.  The  ice  began  to  get  uneasy,  giving  us  several 
severe  shocks  before  midnight. 

Fehruary  l^th,  Jloiidaij.  —  Since  getting  the  sea-wa- 
ter through  the  Kingston  to  the  steam-cutter's  boiler, 
instead  of  feeding  it  directly  from  the  bilge,  we  have  no 
trouble  about  our  distilled  water.  As  the  boiler  has  a 
little  steam-drum  on  to])  of  it,  no  salt  is  carried  over 
from  it  to  the  coils,  and  we  are  now^  enjoying  almost 
chemicalh  pure  water.  We  are  not  expending  fuel 
foe  this  purpose  alone,  liowever,  because  steam  is  nec- 
essarily kept  all  the  time  on  this  boiler  to  keep  the  fire- 
room  dry. 

Between  miduiuht  and  four  p.  m.  we  received  several 
severe  shocks  from  ice  pressure.  When  the  walking 
parties  went  out  at  noon  they  discovered,  about  half  a 
mile  to  the  northward  of  the  ship,  a  long  lane  of  water. 
Sweetman  was  partially  successful  in  slopping  the  weep- 
ing of  the  water  along  the  berth  deck. 

FehntfO'i/  17///.  T>.u)id(nj.  —  Our  poor  dogs  suffer  the 
most  in  all  this  troidile  in  getting  the  pvnnps  to  work 
with  but  a  small  consumption  of  fuel.  While  we  had 
steam  on  the  main  boiler,  we  were  able  to  steam  the 
concentrated  dog  food  received  at  St.  Michael's,  and 


imder- 
11  boi-o 
ne  out 
3  their 
1  deck, 
he  two 
r  bhm- 
cf  from 
ig  upon 

rvicc  at 
several 

sea-wa- 
s  boiler, 
have  no 
ler  has  a 

ed  over 
almost 

no-  f\iel 

I  Is  nec- 
the  lire- 
several 

walking 
It  hah  a 

II  -water. 
le  weep- 


ler 


the 
to  work 
|\ve  had 
Lam  the 

I's,  and 


SOME    OF   THE    DOGS 
from  fkttcHti 


il 


ii 


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1  i 

if' 

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ifii 

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i 

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if 

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iL. 

THE  RETURN   OF   DAYIJCIIT 


257 


tliiis  make  it  eatable.  But  since  the  fires  under  the 
main  boiler  have  been  discontinuecl  the  dogs  have  had  a 
liard  time.  1  learned  to-day  that  they  were  being  Ted 
on  this  concentrated  food  in  its  present  fro/A'U  condition. 
I  have  been  wondering  for  several  days  why  the  dogs 
fawned  so  much  upon  anyl)ody  who  came  on  deck,  and 
why  the  rattle  of  an  empty  meat-can  thrown  over  the 
rail  was  a  call  to  all  the  dogs  to  rush  for  the  ship  in  a 
body.  Being  up  all  night,  and  getting  my  rest  in  the 
daytime,  1  lose  track  of  some  details  by  my  not  seeing 
them,  or  Chipp  forgetting  to  repo^'t  them.  As  soon  as 
1  learned  of  the  issue  of  frozen  ilitg  food,  I  immediately 
conferred  with  Melville  about  putting  a  pipe  in  the 
Baxter  boiler  to  carry  steam  into  a  barrelful  of  the 
dog  food  to  thaw  it,  and  he  commenced  to  do  so  im- 
mediately. 

Some  of  our  dogs  have  poor  teeth,  and  some  seem  to 
be  going  it  "•  on  their  gums."  These,  while  trying  to 
get  the  frozen  morsels  down,  are  frequently  robbed  by 
the  more  vigorous  dogs  who  have  good  jaws,  and  who 
can  if  necessary  reduce  an  iron  bar  to  proper  size  for 
their  stomachs.  Being  unable  to  get  sleep  this  morn- 
ing, after  my  all-night  watch,  I  Avent  out  on  the  floe  at 
nine  A.  m.,  and  was  innnediately  surrounded  by  all  the 
toothless  dogs,  who  fawned  upon  me  as  if  their  instinct 
had  told  them  I  was  the  commanding  ollicer,  and  shoidd 
be  appealed  to  to  right  them.  I  am  in  hopes  now  that 
the  evil  is  remedied,  and  that  every  dog  will  get  his 
food  in  such  shape  as  will  prove  eatable. 

Sounded  at  noon  in  thirty-one  fathoms  (muddy  bot- 
tom), a  northwest  drift  being  indicated  by  the  lead  line. 
Ice  formed  seven  inches  in  thickness  over  sounding 
hole  since   yesterday.     We  have  been  favored  Avith  a 

gale  to-day  with  tremendously  heavy  squalls. 
17 


i    \ 


'  m\ 


TSi 


258 


TIIK   VOVAGK   OF   THE  JJ:ANN1:T  TK. 


m 

Ml 


The  water  bein<''  pinnpod  out  of  the  ship  of  course 
freezes  nt  once,  iiml  in  consequence  the  ice  on  the  sttir- 
hoiUfl  side  reaches  iihove  her  doubling,  This  niiturnlly 
will  hold  the  ship  down,  but  we  Ciinnot  lielp  it.  Work- 
ing in  this  temperature  is  difficult  for  men,  but  impos- 
sil)le  for  tools.  When  the  temperature  becomes  decent, 
say  at  zerO;  I  shnll  have  a  trench  dug  aroiuid  her  to  re- 
lieve tliis  hold,  but  at  present  nothing  can  be  done. 
Finding  that  the  delivery  of  the  hose  was  constantly 
freezing,  we  allowed  the  surface  ice  to  cover  above  the 
scupper,  and  then  diu^  a  hole  down  underneath  for  the 
water  to  How,  raising  the  temperature  of  the  delivery 
to  that  of  the  surrounding  ice. 

Februari/ IS/h,  Widnenddij.  —  A  very  stormy,  disa- 
greeable day,  —  one  oi"  the  worst  we  have  had.  The 
day  began  with  an  E.  N.  E.  wind,  with  a  velocity  of  fif- 
teen and  one  half  miles  .an  hour.  This  backed  and 
moderated  until  it  reached  N.  at  six  .\..  m.  (velocity  six 
miles),  the  barometer  then  standing  28.59,  —  our  low- 
est on  record.  There  it  remained  until  the  wind  backed 
to  N.  W.  at  seven,  when  it  connnenced  to  rise.  Re- 
membering that  '*  the  first  rise  after  very  low  indicates 
a  stronger  blow,"  I  stood  by  for  a  breeze.  It  com- 
menced to  freshen  immediately ;  at  frequent  intervals 
we  had  very  heavy  squalls,  probably  from  thirty  to 
forty  miles  velocity.  Snow  filled  the  air  in  falling,  and 
when  drifted  by  the  wind.  The  temperature  fell  rap- 
idly to  minus  34°,  and  with  the  fierce  wind  and  driving 
snow  hiding  everything  at  twenty  yards,  while  sifting 
through  one's  clothes,  made  up  one  of  the  most  disa- 
greeable days  we  have  yet  seen.  Barometer  reaches 
29-11    by  midnight. 

Finding  that  staying  up  all  night  until  4.30  or  5.30, 
and  struggling  to  get  enough  sleep  in  the  day  (without 


I  \ 


m\ 


'iiiK  itH'iritN  or  i>.\vM(;nT. 


250 


reference  to  tlie  extreme  irregularity  ol'  my  eating), 
WJis  telling  on  me  to  a  considerable  extent,  1  arranged 
the  night  work  in  three  watches,  taking  until  midnight 
myseir.  putting  Mr.  Dunbar  on  for  tlu'  midwjitch,  and 
having  Chipp  look  out  alter  four  a.  m.,  initil  some 
emergency  arises,  or  1  find  myself  equal  to  anotlier 
spi'll. 

Danenhower's  sickness  throws  the  work  out  greatly. 
With  our  small  nundjer,  one  less  adeets  us  seriously. 
His  case  is  becoming  more  a<i;<>'ravated  instead  of  im- 
proving.  Despite  all  operations,  it  seems  to  be  a  fore- 
gone conclusion  that  he  will  lose  his  left  eye.  His  case 
will  not  yield  to  treatment,  but  continues  to  work  itself 
along  in  thorough  fashion  in  its  own  regular  way. 

Fehrmu'n  V.)lJi,  y7inrsda(/.  —  Pump,  p\nnp,  punip  ! 
the  same  story  day  after  day,  and  steiulily  our  coal  sup- 
]ily  diminishes.  An  average  expenditure  of  five  hun- 
dred pounds  per  day,  or  perhaps  five  hundred  and  fifty 
would  be  nearer  the  mark,  is  required  to  keep  us  warm, 
cook  our  food,  and  pump  the  ship  out.  A  very  simple 
calculation  will  determine  how  Ion"-  we  can  y-o  on  at 
that  rate.  All  oui*  hoped  for  explorations,  and  perhaps 
discoveries  this  coming  summer,  seem  slipping  away 
from  US,  and  we  seem  to  have  nothini'-  ahead  of  vis  but 
taking  a  leaking  ship  to  the  United  States.  At  the  best, 
1  do  not  like  to  contemplate  any  further  accident,  al- 
though in  our  position  almost  anything  might  Ixjfall  us. 
Writing  down  one's  sensations  here  is  of  no  use.  They 
will  always  be  fresh  enough  to  my  mind  without  doul)t, 
and  a  record  of  them  would  be  to  no  purpose.  Put- 
ting down  things  as  they  occvu'  will  Ite  much  the  bet- 
ter plan.     A  very  stormy,  disagreeable  day. 

Fehruart/  2()th,  Friday.  —  We  have  been  carefully 
observing  the  working  of  Ijoth  our  punqjs,  and  calculate 


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260 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANXETTE. 


the  performance  of  each  in  order  to  get  as  exact  an  idea 
as  possible  of  the  extent  of  the  leak.  We  find  the 
amount  of  the  leak  may  be  assumed  to  be  1047.7  gal- 
lons per  hour.  Sounded  at  noon  in  thirty-two  fathoms, 
muddy  bottom  with  shells.  A  small  clam  was  brought 
up  by  the  lead.  A  drift  to  N.  was  indicated  by  the  line. 
Five  inches  of  ice  formed  over  sounding  hole  since  yes- 
terday. Clear  and  pleasant  weather,  moderate  west 
winds.  Temperature  slowly  falls  from  minus  45°  to 
minus  46°,  but  I  am  inclined  to  think  it  is  colder  than 
is  recorded.  Our  mercurial  thermometers  record  be- 
low minus  40°  (the  freezing  point  of  mercury  being 
minus  39°).  But  how  far  such  records  are  reliable  is 
a  matter  for  scientific  consideration.  One  of  our  mer- 
curial thennometers  records  minus  50°,  and  our  spirit 
thermometers  are  generally  from  3°  to  4°  higher 
(warmer).  Beyond  minus  39°  by  mercurial  thermom- 
eters I  consider  our  most  careful  records  as  unreliable. 

Although  we  have  a  clear  day  and  a  clear  horizon, 
no  land  is  to  be  seen.  We  must  therefore  have  drifted 
away  from  our  N.  side  of  Wrangel  Land.  With  the 
high  winds  prevailing  of  late  we  have  had  no  chance 
of  getting  observations,  and  with  the  cold  weather  we 
are  having,  one  is  sure  of  frozen  fingers.  In  the  ab- 
sence of  a  place  to  erect  our  observatory,  all  our  as- 
tronomical observations  have  to  be  made  with  sextant 
and  artificial  horizon.  Care  has  to  be  taken  to  get  the 
sight  quickly  before  the  mercury  freezes,  and  as  the 
fingers  are  like  sticks,  they  do  not  work  tangent  screws 
readily.  While  working  at  these  the  horizon  and  index 
glasses  frost  up,  and  then  there  is  nothing  to  do  but 
come  in  and  thaw  out.  Uiider  ordinary  circumstances 
our  transit  theodolite  might  be  used.  But  apart  from 
the  difiiculty  of  working  leveling  screws  in  this  tern- 


THE   RETURN  OF  DAYLIGHT. 


2G1 


ill] 


perature,  the  tlioodolitc  would  liuve  to  be  brought 
in-board  to  be  read,  and  the  transportation  would  per- 
haps alter  the  reading.  We  get  along  fairly  well,  how- 
ever, all  things  considered,  Chipp  filling  Danenhower's 
place  in  taking  sights. 

Vapor  arising  from  the  ice  to  the  S.  W.  during  the 
afternoon,  indicating  water  hole. 

February  22(/,  Sunday.  —  At  eleven  a.  m.  I  inspected 
the  ship.  The  result  was  not  encouraging,  so  far  as  the 
future  health  and  comfort  of  the  men  are  concerned ; 
everything  in  the  deck-house  and  berth  deck  was  either 
very  damp  or  dripping  wet.  The  heat  from  the  Bax- 
ter boiler  warms  up  the  deck  in  its  immediate  vicinity 
and  thaws  the  ice,  making  wet  and  slop ;  and  the  heat 
ascending  to  the  roof  melts  the  frost  on  the  beams, 
causing  them  to  drip  steadily.  Add  these  two  things  to 
the  unavoidable  drip  of  leaking  steam  from  cocks,  etc., 
of  the  Baxter  boiler,  and  we  have  a  condition  of  wet 
and  damp  that  is  disagreeable  in  the  extreme.  !So  much 
for  the  port  side.  On  the  starboard  side  the  pump 
discharges  through  a  canvas  hose  to  a  scupper  hole,  and 
the  leakage  is  considerable.  The  stove  on  the  starboard 
side  keeps  the  frost  overhead  and  on  the  side  in  a  con- 
stant state  of  drip  without  ever  drying  it.  These  two 
things  keep  the  starboard  side  of  the  deck  as  wet  as 
tlu'  port  side.  To  reach  the  berth  deck  everybody  has 
to  pass  through  the  deck-house  on  the  port  side,  and  as 
a  consequence  wet  and  slop  are  carried  below  on  every- 
body's feet  and  into  the  berth  deck.  This  begins  the 
trouble  there.  Then  the  steady  flow  of  water  into  the 
ship  under  the  berth  deck  and  aft  to  the  pumps  helps 
to  retain  the  dampness  where  deposited,  and  if  any- 
thing is  needed  to  complete  the  discomfort  the  drip 
from  the  beams  comes  in  as  a  iinish.     The  stove  keeps 


IE' 


1' 

i 


l^h 


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262 


THE    VOYAGK   OF    I'llE  JEANNKTTE. 


i    li 


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i.;i. 


the  midship  berths  ilry  and  (^oiiifortuble,  but  the  for- 
ward and  after  bertlis  require  rubber  blankets  over 
them  to  catch  the  moisture.  Since  the  leak  \ve  have 
not  been  able  to  air  the  bedding  in  the  deck-house,  be- 
cause it  would  only  absorb  dampness ;  and  we  have 
to  rest  content  with  turning  up  all  the  mattresses  in  the 
berths  every  morning,  and  letting  the  air  already  on 
the  ])erth  deck  circulate  around  them.  Although  the 
Baxter  boiler  and  stove  keep  the  deck-house  warm,  six 
of  each  could  not  keep  it  dry,  and  it  is  this  continued 
dampness  that  I  fear  will  eventually  tell  on  the  men. 
The  worst  of  it  is  that  we  can  hope  for  no  improve- 
ment imtil  we  get  moderate  weather.  When  that  time 
comes,  I  intend  moving  the  Baxter  engine  rig  to  the 
after  bilge-pump,  and  letting  all  the  water  come  aft 
freelv  through  the  Hates  in  the  water-tio-ht  bulkhead. 
But  1  cannot  do  this  now  because  the  after  bilge-pump 
stands  out  on  the  <leck,  with  nothing  more  than  the 
tent-awning  to  shelter  it,  and  would  undoul)tedly  freeze 
and  choke  up  with  ice  while  being  worked. 

Altliough  the  weather  is  terribly  coM,  everybody  is 
encouraged  to  take  exercise  out  on  the  ice.  From 
eleven  to  one  every  day  the  berth  deck  is  cleared  and 
aired,  and  the  men  of  their  own  accord  take  at  once  to 
the  ice,  tramping  up  and  down  near  the  ship,  or  wan- 
dering off  looking  for  open  water  and  seals  or  bear 
tracks.  The  olUcers  are  as  ready  to  take  a  consti- 
tutional walk  as  could  be  desired,  the  cabin  being 
thoroughly  aired.  We  are  as  comfortable  aft  as  we 
could  wish.  The  ward-room  is  and  has  bt'en  perfectly 
dry,  not  a  sign  of  drip  or  dampness  being  visible.  As 
there  never  is  any  fire  there  (except  Saturday  night  to 
heat  water  for  bathing)  the  temperature  ranges  between 
28°  and  32°,  and  the  officers  below  find  that  by  no  means 


J      iS 


THE  KirruuN  of  daylight. 


263 


uncomfortal)le  for  sleeping.  The  forward  hulkliead  of 
Chipp's  room  and  my  room  is  constantly  covered  with 
ice,  which,  when  the  rooms  get  warm,  tliaws  and  drips 
(m  the  deck,  but  as  it  is  either  wiped  up  or  freezes  again 
we  suffer  no  discomfort.  Our  beds,  being  in  the  after 
part  of  the  rooms  and  in-board,  are  perfectly  dry.  Such 
moisture  as  condenses  on  the  ceiling  runs  down  the 
curve  of  the  turtle-back,  lodges  on  the  bulwark  book- 
shelf, and  is  occasionally  chopped  out  with  a  hatchet. 
But  these  are  trillos,  and  I  am  as  comfortable  as  possi- 
ble. With  good  health,  good  appetite,  and  now  enough 
sleep,  I  feel  as  if  1  could  endure  these  small  privations 
for  an  indefinitely  long  period  of  time.  But  I  am  con- 
r^iderably  worried  about  the  damp  condition  of  the 
men's  quarters,  1  see  no  bad  effect  yet  upon  their 
health,  and  as  they  are  bright  and  cheerful,  the  dis- 
comfort does  not  affect  their  spirits ;  but  I  know  the 
conditions  arc  unfavorable  to  proper  health,  and  I  am 
anxious  as  to  the  result.  We  can  hardly  look  for  mild 
weather  until  April,  and  that  is  five  weeks  off  yet. 

It  is  pleasant  to  record  one  favorable  thing,  and  that 
is,  a  reduction  in  the  coal  expenditure  of  fifty  per  cent, 
as  compared  with  last  week.  Our  expenditure  last  week 
was  1,()2H  pounds,  and  this  week  is  5()4y.  Atone  p.  m. 
road  divine  service  in  the  cabin. 

Fihrunry  23c?,  Mondaif.  —  Washington's  birthday 
having  fallen  on  Sunday  this  year,  the  celebration  of  it 
was  deferred  until  to-day.  At  sunrise  we  dressed  ship 
with  American  ensigns  at  the  mast-heads  and  tlag-stalf, 
and  the  Union  Jack  forward.  There  is  no  fear  of 
contradiction  when  I  say  that  this  w\'is  the  first  time 
Washington's  birthday  was  celebrated  in  this  part  of 
the  world.  Beyond  llag-hoisting  we  niiide  no  pretense 
of  keeping  holiday.     There  is  so  much  absolutely  neces- 


iif  - 

!•    !i 

1 

tpiii 


\\ 


i  M 


i 


264 


THE  VOYAGK  OF  THE  JEANXETTE. 


I   t 


ii-' 


.sary  work  to  be  performed  daily,  now  tli.'it  we  are  leak- 
ing, that  there  can  be  holiday  for  nobody. 

Sounded  at  noon  in  thirty-three  fathoms,  mud  and 
gravel.  Ice  five  inches  thick  formed  over  sounding 
hole  since  yesterday.  Early  daylight  at  1.50  A.  m.  An 
o[)ening  in  the  ice  about  one  half  mile  to  the  southward 
of  the  ship.  Full  moon  occurs  at  noon  on  the  2r)th, 
and  we  must  stand  by  for  a  scare  I  suppose. 

A  bear  came  near  the  ship  at  midnight,  but  the  dogs 
made  a  rush  for  him  and  drove  him  off  before  anybody 
could  get  a  shot  at  him. 

February  2ith,  I'uesday.  —  A  slight  shock  from  the 
ice  at  3.50  a.  m.  and  a  sound  of  ice  in  motion  was  heard 

.  -  at   the   same   time. 

U 


At  four  tliis  aftor- 
noon  we  sighted 
Herald  Island  from 
aloft.  This  seemed 
almost  like  meeting 
an  old  friend.  It 
bore  S.,  verifying 
our  sights  for  posi- 
tion on  the  21st. 
Bright,  pleasant 
weather.  So  pow- 
erful have  the  sun's  rays  become  that  I  have  ordered 
the  wea'^ing  of  snow  spectacles  by  everybody  going 
away  from  the  ship.     At  one  A.  m.  brilliant  aurora. 

At  ten  this  morning  there  was  a  great  going  on  with 
the  ice.  The  usual  grinding  and  screaming  broke  out 
suddenly  all  around  us,  but  at  some  little  distance,  say 
a  quarter  of  a  mile.  No  ice  could  be  seen  moving,  but 
that  there  w'as  motion  somewhere  was  evident  from 
the  vapor  that  rose  from  openings  in  the  floes.    A  very 


i  a 


THE  RETURN  OF   DAYIJCIIT. 


265 


curious  phenomenon  in  connection  with  this  was  that 
putt's  of  vapor  would  .shoot  up  hko  smoke  from  an  ex- 
plosion, too  distant  to  be  heard,  and  follow  along  in  a 
line  of  possible  fracture.  As  soon  as  the  putt'  had  dis- 
appeared a  regular  haze  would  rise  a8  if  from  open 
water.  The  commotion  went  on  imtil  eleven  A.  M., 
when  it  ceased  as  suddenh'  as  it  ])egan.     We  did  not 

V  CD 

experience  any  shock  or  jar,  and  as  our  period  of  sus- 
pense and  standing  bv  was  a  short  one,  we  were  not  in- 
clined to  regard  the  movement  as  any  "  great  shakes." 
I  had  been  looking  forward  to  this  time,  the  time  of 
full  moon,  as  a  period  of  uncertainty,  but,  as  often 
happens,  the  anticipation  was  worse  than  the  reality. 
We  have  ceased  to  tremble  at  these  semi-monthly  visi- 
tations. We  can  see  now,  and  that  is  more  than  half 
a  victory.  Eight  hours'  sunlight  gives  us  a  confidence 
we  did  not  feel  in  November,  Decemlier^  and  Janu- 
ary ;  and  as  we  know  we  are  daily  lengthening  our 
sunlight,  and  that  each  dav  is  a  dav  nearer  mild  and 
pleasant  weather,  Ave  are  as  bold  as  lions.  It  seems 
difficult  at  times  to  anticipate  any  mild  weather  with 
the  thermometer  going  on  serenely  day  after  day  1)e- 
low  minus  40°.  This  month  has  1)een  a  screamer  for 
cold. 

When  the  ice  excitement  subsided  this  morning  1 
went  out  to  look  for  results,  and  I  found  that,  although 
generally  the  floes  had  come  together  again,  leaving 
only  cracks  to  show  where  the>'  luul  broken,  there  were 
a  few  openings  six  inches  wide  over  which  the  ice  had 
formed  in  an  hour  one  half  inch  in  thickness.  Nol)odv 
seems  to  mind  the  cold  much,  we  are  all  out  every  day 
for  an  hour  or  two  at  a  time,  and  beyond  a  cold  nose 
(and  if  it  is  windy,  occasionally  a  slightly  :  \)ped  one) 
we  iseem  none  the  worse  for  it.     Oiu*  chief  trouble  is 


<\;V 


'It. 


200 


THE  V0YA(;E  of  "UK  jkanxktte. 


;iii 


;Si   ' 


with  our  8no\v-t^()(f«xles,  for  thoy  quickly  frost  up,  and 
we  cannot  sec  through  then.  If  we  go  without  them 
we  run  the  risk  of  snow-bliiuhiess,  for  the  ghire  is  ter- 
rific. 

The  refraction  is  somethin;if  wonderful.  The  shapes 
of  distant  pieces  of  ice  chango  very  often  apparently, 
and  small  lumps  look  inordinately  large.  Occasionally 
wo  sight  some  enormous  blocks  which  have  been  broken 
off  and  up-ended  in  tlie  ice  pressures.  To  survey  these 
massive  pieces  more  satisfactorily  we  plod  through  the 
broken  hummocks  toward  them  only  to  find  upon  ar- 
rival that  a  very  insignificant  block  has  been  magnified 
by  refraction.  A  piece  seemingly  forty  feet  in  height 
becomes  in  reality  about  ten  feet. 

Our  auroral  displays  are  falling  off  in  number  and 
brilliancy.  There  is  but  one  to  record  in  these  twenty- 
four  hours.  Lunar  halos  and  circles  are  quite  com- 
mon, the  mist  Avhich  hangs  over  these  openings  in  the 
ice  dm-ing  the  day  seeming  to  be  drawn  to  the  moon 
regularly  and  resolving  itself  into  a  halo  or  circle.  Of 
late  dc'iys  the  moon  has  had  a  "  burr  "  around  it  in  ris- 
ing, as  if  she  had  been  dipped  in  adhesive  vapor  before 
showing  above  the  horizon. 

Fehruarij  2G^/^,  Thursday.  —  At  ten  p.  m.  the  Baxter 
boiler  and  engine  commenced  working  the  forward 
fc,par  deck  bilge-pump  again.  This  made  a  pleasant  re- 
lief for  the  men,  who  found  the  pumping  by  hand  no 
sinecure.  It  would  be  an  unpleasant  feature  of  our 
cruise  were  the  pumping  done  by  hand,  for  doubtless  it 
would  soon  break  our  men  down.  Valuable  as  our  coal 
is,  th'.  expenditure  of  tw^o  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
per  jiem  for  pumping  is  a  wise  measure,  and  not  to  be 
considered  in  comparison  with  the  continued  pumping 
by  hand  and  wearing  out  of  men's  health. 


I   III!  V 


!!!■, 


THE   UETUUN  OF   DAYLIGHT. 


20 


>l 


This  unbroken  monotony  of  life,  with  the  steiul\- 
strain  on  the  mind  of  perpetually  standing  by  for  a 
mishap,  is  very  wearing,  and  calls  for  all  of  one's  nerve 
to  keep  cheerful  one's  sielf  and  maintain  cheerfulness 
among  one's  associates.  I  hoped  that  ))y  this  time  we 
might  begin  to  look  for  ice  openings,  and  seals  and 
walru.ses,  but  we  are  having  such  very  cold  weather  that 
everything  is  shut  up  tight.  I  even  hoped  that  we 
might  begin  to  see  a  glimpse  of  an  occasional  feather, 
but  no  bird  with  a  well-regulated  mind  would  trust 
himself  in  this  temperature.  We  cannot  yet  feel  the 
want  of  fresh  food,  for  our  stock  of  seals  laid  in  in  the 
fall  has  enabled  us  to  have  roast  seal  every  Sunday  for 
dinner,  and  we  have  one  left  now  for  our  coming  Sun- 
day's repast.  We  have  also  roast  bear  one  day  in  the 
week,  and  that  is  a  treat.  Our  dogs  are  hardly  as  well 
off  as  ourselves ;  they  are  now  feeding  on  the  com- 
pressed food,  which  is  steamed  until  it  makes  a  kind  of 
soup  hash.  This  is  not  as  nutritious  as  fish  for  them, 
and  does  not  satisfy  their  appetites.  They  are  perpet- 
ually rummaging  around  among  the  empty  meat-cans, 
and  picking  up  what  iew,  very  few  scraps  are  thrown 
over  the  side.  We  need  a  spell  of  open  water  and  a 
chance  to  get  some  seals,  or  a  walrus,  to  give  them 
good  food  and  plenty  of  it. 

February  27th,  Friday.  —  The  pumping  goes  on  with 
its  accustomed  regularity,  the  steady  thump,  thump, 
of  the  deck-pump  being  relieved  occasionally  by  the 
whirr,  whirr  of  the  steam-cutter's  engine  working  the 
main  engine  bilge-pump.  So  far  as  human  ingenuity 
can  be  of  avail,  we  have  reduced  the  greatest  amoinit 
of  work  to  the  least  expenditure  of  fuel,  and  we  can 
do  nothing  more  than  wait  for  the  mild  weather  which 
will  surely  come  by  and  by,  and  when  we  are  afloat 


I: 


III: 


)  f 


■■;j 

\ 

\ 

i 

;      :        1 

w 


'<     . 


51  't 


A 


i  '-I 


I  t 


"'    f 


f!  fir! 

i 

> 


r- 


M 


U  ^1 


lies 


THK   V()YA(;K  of  TIIK  .IKAXNKTTK. 


again  look  around  us  and  seo  what  can  be  done.  To 
make  conji'ctures,  or  lay  plans  at  this  early  date,  would 
he  idle.  Everything  will  depend  on  the  extent  of  the 
leak  when  the  ship  becomes  entirely  Avater  borne,  our 
ability  to  keep  her  free,  and  the  amount  of  fuel  reiuain- 


Watching  for  Seals. 

•  ing  on  hand.  We  have  all  the  resolution  to  push  on 
to  the  highest  latitude  that  we  had  upon  leaving  home, 
and  we  can  do  nothing  but  wait  for  time  to  show 
whether  our  ability  can  be  made  to  keep  pace  with  our 
desire. 

Beautifully  pleasant  weather.  Were  it  not  for  the 
intense  cold  we  should  be  having  weather  remarkably 
enjoyable ;  skies  almost  entirely  free  from  clouds,  a  few 


TIIK   RETI'KX   OK   DAYLIfill  I , 


'JCD 


stratus  at  sunriso  and  sunsot  hi'iii^^  tlio  only  ones ;  very 
liji;lit  variable  airs  and  (!alins,  brilliant  sunlij^dit,  and 
miles  of  ice.  S(>  brilliant  is  the  ^laro  ot"  the  sun  that 
it  is  imprudent  to  ^o  outside  ol'  the  shij)  even,  without 
snow-speetacles ;  for  if  the  eyes  do  not  beeouie  painful 
while  on  the  ice  they  are  almost  sure  to  beeome  so 
shortly  after  eomin^^  in-board.  We  have  had  m)  much 
annoyance  from  the  glasses  frostinj;  up  and  thus  be- 
eoniinf?  useless  for  seeing  ])urposes,  thut  some  of  us 
to-dav  tried  wearin«r  horse  hair  eye  <ruards.  Thi'se  we 
found  to  be  excellent  beyond  com[)arison.  They  did 
not  frost  up  at  all,  were  more  pleasant  next  the  skin 
than  ;ilass  <i(\u\irlos,  althouu'h  the  rims  of  these  latter 
are  covered  with  velvet,  and,  curious  to  relate,  I  found 
that  mv  near-siuhtedness  was  considerably  overcome 
by  them,  enablinjj^  me  to  see  at  <rreater  distances  and 
with  more  clearness  and  distinctness  than  with  the 
naked  eye.  This  is  a  fact  worthy  of  iuvestijxation  by 
an  oculist  at  some  future  time. 

The  brij^'ht  sunlijiht  out-board  also  reaches  us  in- 
board, and  with  bri<i:ht  and  cheerin<;'  ell'ect.  The  air 
ports  and  deck  huhts  in  the  cabin  Ix'injr  (.-leaned  of 
their  ticcumulation  of  ice  allow  the  sunlij^ht  to  stream 
in.  and  cheer  and  bri<:hten  us  while  the  excessive  cold 
keeps  us  shut  up.  The  cabin  has  a  very  din<ry  look. 
The  smoke  of  a  whole  winter  from  stoves  and  pipes 
has  colored  the  white  paint  work  to  a  decided  black, 
and  we  are  almost  tempted  to  commence  scrubbin;^:  it 
before  mild  weather  comes.  But  as  it  will  turn  our 
dry  and  comfortable  quarters  into  wet  and  damp  ones 
for  seversil  days,  we  refrain.  Now  that  daylight  makes 
things  visible  Avhich  lamplight  hid,  I  am  finding  in  my 
room  on  the  forward  and  out-board  sides  accumulations 
of  ice  and  frost,  which  the  steward  breaks  up  with  an 


f! 


i; 


;! 

ii 


Bti!  ^^  ! 

Hi'     1 '  ■ 

■lit 

-j  ■■'  ■ 


■ll 

< . 


1>70 


TIIK   VOYAGE   OF    IHK  JKANNKTTK. 


n\v  and  removes  with  a  shovel.  It  seems  odd  for  a 
lUMU  to  di^  his  room  out  at  the  end  of  winter,  and  siieh 
a  fact  niijfht  lead  one  to  suppose  that  1  had  had  niueh 
discomfort.  On  tiie  eontrarv.  1  have  heen  comfortable 
to  a  }::reater  decree  tlian  1  had  any  reason  to  expect 
under  the  circumstances. 

As  our  days  lengthen  the  avu'oral  displays  become 
less  frequent  and  less  brilliant.  It  is  impossible  to  as- 
sign any  particular  cause  for  their  appearance,  or  dis- 
cover any  particular  eflect  followin^^  them.  They  have 
been  brilliant,  n  intensely  cold  weather,  and  also  in 
mild  weather,  and  again  they  have  been  faint  under 
similar  temperature;  they  have  existed  in  all  winds 
and  in  calms,  at  full  and  chanjie  of  the  moon,  when  the 
ice  has  been  breakini*-  up  and  when  it  has  been  uioiion- 
less;  in  line,  under  all  sorts  and  conditio  •  of  circum- 
stances. The  only  prerecpiisite  is  a  dry  atmosphere. 
It  has  been  said  that  these  auroras  are  not  seen  over 
tlie  ice.  All  that  1  can  say  about  that  is,  that  fre- 
quently we  could  see  nothin*::  but  ice  durin*;*  displays, 
althou<j;h  there  may  have  been  water  somewhere. 

Fehruary  ISth,  Saturdaij.  —  Pumping  as  nsual,  and 
usi  or  the  steam-cutter's  boiler  lor  distilling  when  not 
making  steam  to  run  the  main  engine  bilge-pump. 

Beautifully  clear  and  pleasant  weather.  Om*  dogs 
lie  and  bask  in  the  sun's  rays,  and  seem  to  enjoy  it, 
although  their  wool  is  stiff  with  frost.  Their  hardi- 
hood is  inunense.  Lying  right  out  on  the  Hoe  night 
after  night,  they  seem  to  keep  warm  enough,  and  at  the 
same  time  throw  out  sufficient  heat  to  thaw  a  hole  un- 
der and  around  them  an  inch  or  more  in  depth.  Ash 
heaps  and  dirt  heaps  seem  to  be  especially  sought  for. 
Alliances  are  formed  for  their  enjoyment,  and  the  ap- 
proach of  an  outside  dog  is  the  signal  to  clear  for  action. 


Tin:   I5KTUUN   OF   DAVLKJIIT. 


271 


A  IVnv  «iI"  till'  stronjiH'st  do^-s  tjikt  i)«)st  on  lioni-d  at  the 
door  ol'  tlu'  I'ook-liouso  to  intercept  miy  supplies,  niul  lie 
nearest  the  pince  of  deposit  il"  tiu-y  are  thrown  ovi'i* 
the  rail,  and  a  hun<:;ry  or  iiKjuisitive  luother  is  at  onee 
driven  away  l>y  them. 

Ft'hruai'i/  'Jll/A,  Stfudat/.  —  At  eleven  a.  M.  I  iu-'|)e('tt'd 
the  shij).  Although  the  herth  deck  and  deeU-house  were 
damp,  they  were  at  all  events  clean.  The  deck-house, 
havin<i:  been  ridieved  (4"  some  ol  the  boxes  of  provisions 
by  stowinji'  them  in  the  coal  bunkers,  pre.sented  more 
room  for  fr-'.  circulation;  and  alt houLih  the  deck  was 
damp,  particularly  in  the  wake  of  the  liaxter  boiler  on 
the  por*  side  and  tbc  stove  on  the  starboanl  side,  the 
temperature  Itein*^-  kept  at  (piite  a  comfortable  point 
rendered  it  c»)nsiderablo  of  a  shelter  in  this  inclement 
weather.  In  all  the  drip  and  dami)ness  on  the  berth 
deck  we  have  been  able  to  keep  the  beddinjj;  dry,  and 
there  has  been  no  instance  of  bed  elothin-j;  freezing:  to 
the  side  as  I  have  read  of  in  some  other  exi)editions. 
The  men  are  bright  and  cheerful,  surveyini;  with  much 
complacency  and  evident  gratification  the  pumping  of 
the  ship  by  steam  instead  of  hand  power.  Our  Chinese 
cook  and  steward  are  as  impassible  and  impenetiable  iii 
this  cold  weather  as  if  we  were  enjoying  a  tropical 
spring.  Seemingly  emotionless,  all  Aveathers.  all  cir- 
cumstances, are  alike  to  them.  Living  by  themselves 
in  the  cook-house,  they  hold  no  connnunion  with  their 
fellow-men,  but  are  nevertheless  cheerl'ul  and  contented 
with  each  other's  society,  singing  songs  or  playing  cards 
in  the  evening,  day  after  day,  with  no  concern  for  the 
future  and  no  care  for  the  past.  Our  two  natives, 
A^exey  and  Aneguin,  thrive  wonderfully  wcd.  Occa- 
sionally they  "  think  plenty  "  about  St.  Michael's,  being 
a  little  homesick,  but  generally   they  are  bright  and 


1 


'■! 

i  ; 

■  i  ■' 

\ 

^:'  I 


ij 

■i'  '1  .B'-. 

?  .(  1  f   ' 

■  [■ :  f     1  ' J  ■ 

.  1 

i-^ 

I  il 

; 

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■   ?:-'■     ' 

■i  ■:t 

i ; 

•  h! 

,: 

i 

' 

1    !'' 

,     .1. 

•?   '; 

„     j 

P   i; 

■    4 

^  i  ^ 

: 

i 

y^^ 

272 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANXETTE. 


happy.  They  have  learned  considerable  English  (and 
always  manage  very  cleverly  to  express  their  mean- 
ings), play  bean  poker,  are  as  fat  as  partridges,  and  are 
longing  for  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice  and  a  chance 
at  the  walrus  and  seal. 

They  are  naturally  and  intuitively  the  most  polite 
men  I  have  met  outside  of  cultivated  society,  and  would 
even  compare  favorably  with  some  of  the  choicest  within 
it  in  that  respect.  Upon  meeting  an  officer  first  in  the 
morning,  a  touch  of  the  cap  and  a  good-morning  are 
immediately  tendered.  If  you  do  or  say  anything  for 
them  that  they  see  or  hear,  "  Thank  you  "  is  immedi- 
ately your  reply.  If  you  thank  them,  ''  You  are  wel- 
come "  is  ready.  And  all  this  in  a  manly,  straightfor- 
ward way,  without  an}'^  cringing  or  eye  serving.  A 
quiet  dignity  pervades  everything  in  their  intercourse 
with  tlioir  shipmates. 

March  1st,  Monrhaj.  —  The  pumping  proceeded  as 
usual  until  10.30  p.  m.,  when  Melville  came  to  me  and 
reported  that  the  Baxter  boiler  had  broken  down,  the 
crown  sheet  having  come  down  by  heat  and  pressure. 
This  of  course  necessitated  the  renewal  of  hand  pump- 
ing while  repairs  were  being  made.  I  was  surprised  to 
find  how  easily  the  bilge-pump  got  the  water  down  and 
kept  it  down  by  pumping  by  hand  ten  minutes  and 
resting  five  minutes.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  so  much 
ice  has  got  under  the  ship  by  direct  freezing,  and  the 
shoving  under  of  floes,  as  to  prevent  the  entrance  of  a 
very  large  amount  of  water  by  lowering  the  water  head. 
Of  course,  when  we  are  water  borne  again  this  will  be 
proven  or  disproven,  but  it  can  hardly  be  supposed  that 
the  leak  has  diminished  by  the  closing  up  of  any  wound. 
We  might  dispense  altogether  with  steam  pumping,  so 
far  as  our  ability  to  keep  the  ship  free  is  concerned ; 


I 


THE  HETUUX  OF  DAYLIGHT. 


273 


but  though  this  might  bo  practicable  for  a  week  or  two, 
it  cannot  be  entertained  where  months  have  to  be  taken 
into  consideration. 

Our  mercurial  thermometer  is  graduated  to  minus 
49" ;  but  as  mercury  freezes,  or  is  said  to  freeze,  at 
minus  39°,  it  is  questionable  whether  its  readings  below 
minus  39°  are  reliable.  At  all  events,  as  its  reading, 
hour  for  hour,  is  lower  than  a  spirit  thermometer  placed 
alongside  it,  its  reading  is  logged  as  a  nearer  approach 
to  tlie  correct  temperature  so  long  as  it  is  at  or  above 
minus  49°.  Below  this  point  it  suddenly  contracts  and 
falls  into  the  bulb,  and  there  I  presume  freezes  solid. 
After  that  moment  the  spirit  thermometers  are  perforce 
read  and  logged.  To-day,  at  the  beginning,  when  the 
mercury  read  minus  49°,  the  spirit  thermometer  read 
minus  47°.  At  one  A.  m.  the  spirit  thermometer  read  mi- 
nus 48.5°,  and  soon  after*  fallinjr  to  minus  50°  it  finally 
reached  minus  53.5°.  Before  leaving  New  York,  at 
Collins'  request,  I  directed  Green  to  make  thermome- 
ters with  bulbs  of  the  prismatic  colors,  but,  unfortu- 
nately, in  transportation  to  San  Francisco,  four  of  the 
seven  were  broken,  leaving  us  only  red,  violet,  and 
black.  The  object  of  these  thermometers  (filled  with 
uncolored  spirit)  was  to  determine  the  effect  of  the 
sun's  rays  acting  through  prismatic  colored  bulbs,  and 
so  obtain  a  scale  of  absorption.  One  of  these  (the  vio- 
let) was  exposed  to  the  air  to-day,  and  when  our  ordi- 
nary spirit  thermometer  read  iit  midnight  minus  53°, 
this  violet  bulb  read  minus  47.5°.  As  this  one  has 
agreed  very  well  with  our  standard  mercurial  at  read- 
ings above  minus  49°,  it  is  possible  that  its  present 
reading  is  nearer  the  correct  temperature  than  that 
of  the  ordinary  spirit. 

During  the  last  few  days  I  observed  that  on  the  port 

IS 


11 


111 


!  N 


W     i! 


'  '4 


i'l 


I    ■ 


274 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


quarter  the  snow  had  melted  on  the  side,  and  that  at 
noon  the  frost  in  the  seams  was  oozing  out  and  trick- 
ling down.  In  order  to  determine  how  much  of  this 
was  due  to  radiating  heat  from  the  ship  (the  cabin  stove 
being  abreast  of  the  quarter),  and  how  much  to  the  ac- 
tion of  the  sun's  rays  on  the  black  side,  I  caused  Mr. 
Collins  to  blacken  the  bulb  of  a  spirit  thermometer,  and 
this  evening  it  was  attached  to  the  ship's  side.  By  ex- 
periments made  at  noon  and  midnight,  I  may  be  able 
to  determine  how  much  heat  there  is  received  from  the 
sun's  rays. 

Danenhower  had  the  sixth  operation  on  his  eye  to- 
day that  it  has  been  necessary  to  perform.  The  knife 
and  probe  are  regular  things  in  his  case  now,  and 
come  at  regularly  shortening  intervals.  There  is  no 
sign  of  improvement.  Day  after  day  it  is  the  same  old 
story.  He  bears  his  confinement  and  the  pain  of  the 
operations  heroically,  and  his  general  health  and  spirits 
keep  up  well.  But  he  will  never  be  of  any  use  to  the 
expedition,  and  I  seriously  fear  can  never  be  of  very 
nuich  use  to  himself.  If  he  does  not  speedily  reach  a 
place  where  his  surroundings  will  be  more  advantageous 
to  his  general  condition  he  may  have  trouble  with  his 
right  eye. 

March  2d,  Tuesday.  —  The  usual  monthly  examina- 
tion of  the  olhcers  and  men  by  the  surgeon  was  contin- 
ued and  completed,  and  his  report  handed  in.  Our 
condition,  upon  the  whole,  is  satisfactory.  The  surgeon 
says,  "  I  consider  that  the  crew  have  stood  the  hard- 
ships incident  to  a  winter  in  these  latitudes  very  well ; 
there  has  been  no  case  of  serious  disease  among  us  up 
to  this  time  that  could  be  referred  for  its  origin  to  our 
eojourn  in  the  Arctic  regions."  Of  the  eight  officers, 
the  condition  of  one  is  excellent,  of  six  good,  and  of  one 


irgeou 
hard- 
well ; 

118  U[) 

I  to  our 
ificer.s, 
of  one 


THE  UETUKN  OF  DAYLIGHT. 


275 


fair.  Of  the  twenty-three  men  and  two  natives,  the 
condition  of  twenty  is  excellent,  and  of  the  remaining 
five  good.  The  only  serious  case  is  that  of  Mr.  Danen- 
hower,  which  drags  along  from  day  to  day.  Another 
operation  was  performed  on  his  eye  to-day,  and  no 
doubt  others  will  be  necessary  at  short  intervals. 


March  ^d,  Wednesday.  —  At  the  sug- 
gestion of  Mr.  Newcorab  I  gave  an  or- 
der the  other  day,  that  whenever  the 
men  went  away  from  the  ship  on  their 
walks  they  should  keep  a  lookout  for 
shells  or  other  things  on  the  ice,  and 
bring  such  articles  to  the  ship.  To-day 
one  of  the  men  brought  in  some  shells, 
and  a  piece  of  drift-wood  resembling 
birch,  which  he  had  found.    It  seems  he 

saw  this  piece  of 


"^^ 


yKr^^^^  wood  in   Decem- 
■■■^^^:^    ber,  but  attaching 


'Xryss  »o  nnportance  to 

it,  did  not  remove  it.  At  that  time  he 
says  he  saw  the  print  of  two  mocca- 
sins (and  only  one  print)  on  the  snow 
covering  the  lloe.  As  it  is  not  possible 
that  these  prints  were  made  by  any  of 
the  ship's  company',  it  would  seem  prob- 
able that  this  piece  of  ice  came  from 
near  some  inhabited  land  ;  and  as  the 
drift-wood  is  no  doubt  from  Siberia,  it 
may  be  that  this  piece  of  ice  came  from 
some  Siberian  river.  As  in  the  month 
of  December  we  were  drifting  around 

Sketch  by  Engineer  Mtlville,  showing  the  manner  in  which  the  ceiling  was  crusheii  by  the 
strain  brought  on  the  thwart-ship  thiust  during  ice  pressures.  The  fibre  was  broken  and 
crushed  to  a  depth  of  thrtt-quarters  of  an  inch  on  each  side.     Water  line  at  A 


.■  ill 


m 


fill 
'(Ml 

I 


tl 


276 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANxVKTTE. 


^M  • 


\-:i 


!;  M 


Si,  J 


in  the  neighborhood  of  72°  30',  that  floe,  with  its  wood 
and  foot-prints,  niu.st  have  come  a  long  distance. 

March  Ath,  Thursdai/.  —  Being  able  to  begin  to  see 
the  condition  of  things  in  the  coal  bunkers,  Melville 
made  an  unpleasant  discovery  to-day  which  he  reported 
to  me.  I  immediately  repaired  to  the  port  coal 
bunker,  and  there,  to  my  unpleasant  surprise,  saw  that 
the  heavy  six  inch  Oregon  pine  strengthening  planks 
were  crushed  in  the  wake  of  the  heavy  thwart-ship 
thrust  beam  to  the  depth  of  half  an  inch,  while  the 
metal  bolts  forward  and  abaft  of  this  beam  were  here 
and  there  three  eighths  of  an  inch  from  the  planks.  In 
some  one  of  our  heavy  nips  this  heavy  transverse  beam 
has  been  literally  driven  into  the  side.  As  in  this  part 
of  the  ship  there  were  new  frames  and  new  planking, 
as  well  as  the  extra  interior  strenjirthenino;  and  the  out- 
side  doublinti",  she  was  as  stronyias  wood  and  metal  could 
make  her.  Had  I  any  doubt  of  it  before  1  should  be 
convinced  of  it  now.  that  nothing  of  wood  and  metal 
could  be  constructed  to  withstand  the  tremendous  pres- 
sure caused  by  moving  ice-Hoes.  What  the  condition 
of  our  starboard  side  may  be  I  do  not  know,  for  it  can- 
not be  seen  by  reason  of  intervening  coal.  It  would 
be  idle  to  hazard  a  guess  as  to  what  this  will  cause  when 
the  ship  is  again  water  borne,  so  we  can  only  wait  and 
see.     Clear  and  pleasant  weather. 

March  ij(h,  Suturda//.  —  Pumps  going  as  usual.  T. 
water  seems  to  be  coming  into  the  ship  at  about  the 
same  rate,  no  change  apparently  having  taken  place  for 
some  time  in  the  condition  of  the  ice  under  the  ship. 
Looked  at  on  the  starboard  side  the  ship  seems  to  be 
completely  iced  up,  or  in  ;  her  rail  and  the  surface  of 
the  ice  being  on  the  same  level.  This  is  caused  by 
her  heel  of  3°  to  starboard,  and  the  fact  that  we  have 


f., 


M 


THE  RETURN   OF  DAYLIGHT. 


277 


T 

JLit  the 
Ice  for 

ship. 

to  be 
ice  of 

3d  by 

have 


been  for  a  long  time  manufacturing  ice.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  the  leak  the  water  Wtis  pumped  out  directly 
upon  tlie  doe,  where  it  of  course  almost  immediately 
froze.  As  the  ice  rose  in  consequence  it  soon  reached 
our  scupper,  and  that  commenced  to  freeze  up  also. 
Then  Chipp  set  to  work  and  had  a  hole  dug  out  under 
the  scupper  through  to  the  water,  and  by  covering  over 
this  hole  with  boards  and  snow,  secured  an  outlet  for 
the  water  from  the  ship,  which  was  protected  from 
freezing.  Since  this  time  we  have  had  no  trouble. 
Should  we  have  a  commotion  in  the  ice  there  is  every 
chance  of  the  ice  making  a  sweep  of  our  deck  athwart- 
ships,  but  we  have  to  run  that  risk.  No  tools  could 
stand  the  racket  in  this  temperature,  and  we  must  wait 
for  an  increase  of  temperature  to  enable  us  to  carry 
out  the  plan  of  digging  the  ship  out  by  cutting  a  trench 
four  feet  in  width  all  around  her.  Ship's  position  de- 
termined by  Chipp's  observations  to-day  to  be  in  lati- 
tude 72"  12'  N.,  and  longitude  175°  30'  W.,  showing  a 
drift  of  twelve  miles  due  W.  since  last  observations, 
one  week  ago. 

March  7th,  Simdnij.  —  At  eleven  the  Articles  of  War 
were  read,  and  the  crew  mustered,  after  which  I  read 
divine  service  in  the  cabin.  Cloudy  and  dull  weather. 
We  have  had  such  a  continuance  of  bright,  clear,  and 
almost  cloudless  weather  that  we  resent  a  change.  We 
are  also  having  a  moderate  gale,  another  novelty,  and 
are  so  spoiled  in  consequence  as  to  be  somewhat  dis- 
gusted. The  temperature,  however,  increases  from 
minus  33°  to  minus  22°  by  noon,  and  falls  only  to  minus 
28°  at  midnight.  S.  E.  winds  have  always  raised  our 
temperature.  The  ice  has  opened  in  consequence,  for 
much  vapor  was  observed  to  arise  from  it  to-day. 


M 


i;.- 


II 


March    dth,   2\icsday. 


Taking   advantage    of    the 


t 


v\ 


m 


i'ii 

1 

1 

"fi  igj 

H 

1 
1 

278 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEAXXETTE. 


rising  temperature  we  set  to  work  and  dug  a  trench 
four  feet  in  width  all  along  the  port  side,  until  we  un- 
covered the  top  of  the  doubling.  This  was  a  heavy 
labor,  bringing  in  picks,  axes,  and  shovels ;  but  it  re- 
lieved us  of  the  clinging  and  holding  down  effect  of 
this  amount  of  ice  whenever  the  ship  should  struggle 
to  rise  and  free  herself.  When  we  commence  on  the 
starboard  side,  however,  it  will  be  a  heavier  job,  for  the 
ship's  rail  is  almost  Hush  with  the  ice  on  that  side. 
Should  we  retain  our  present  position  a  month  longer, 
we  can  fill,  or  nearly  fill,  this  trench  with  ashes,  and 
perhaps  thaw  a  small  basin  or  dock  in  which  we  can 
float  some  time  before  the  surronnding  ice  breaks  up 
and  liberates  us.  The  digging  to-day  brought  up  a  rare 
stock  of  empty  cans,  which,  slowly  accumulating  since 
November  28tli,  had  as  slowly  been  covered  over  by 
dirt,  ashes,  and  frozen  slops.  Openings  occurred  in  the 
ice  during  the  afternoon  about  a  mile  to  the  E.  and  S. 
E.  of  the  ship,  from  which  large  clouds  of  vapor  arose. 
The  time  of  new  moon  being  at  hand,  I  stood  by  for  a 
possible  emergency,  but  beyond  a  slight  shock  at  mid- 
night nothing  occurred.  The  hunters  report  having 
seen  seals  in  the  ice  openings,  but  brought  none  back  as 
the  result.  A  skeleton  of  a  baby  seal  (picked  by  foxes 
no  doubt)  was  found  and  brought  to  the  ship. 

A  very  curious  cirro-cumulus  cloud,  in  shape  re- 
sembling a  cornucopia,  arose  in  the  S.  W.  this  afternoon, 
and  slowly  mounted  toward  the  zenith.  It  so  much  re- 
sembled a  cloud  I  once  saw  in  the  River  Plate,  imme- 
diately preceding  a  heavy  pampero,  that  I  somewhat 
anticipated  a  heavy  blow  in  this  case,  but  nothing  oc- 
curred. As  an  experiment,  I  had,  some  time  since,  a 
quantity  of  salt  beef  hung  up  in  the  rigging,  and 
another  quantity  packed  in  snow  in  a  barrel.     After 


"  t 


THE   IfETUUN  OF   DAYLIGHT. 


270 


several  weeks'  exposure  we  tried  each  kind,  and  were 
inclined  to  favor  the  snow-cured  as  being  the  more 
freshened  by  the  operation. 

March  IWi,  Wednesday.  —  A  long  lead  of  open 
water  is  seen  about  one  and  a  half  miles  to  southward, 
running  in  a  curve  from  E.  to  S.  W.  Vapor  rises  from 
this  opening  during  the  afternoon  until  five  o'clock, 
when  ice  having  formed  over  it,  the  escape  of  the  heat 
from  the  water  is  prevented  and  the  vapor  ceases.  As 
long  as  daylight  lasted  the  place  of  tlie  opening  lay 
like  a  black  band  stretched  out  on  the  white  surface 
of  the  ice-field.  By  to-morrow,  no  doubt,  the  salt  will 
have  become  squeezed  to  the  surface,  covering  it  en- 
tiiely,  and  making  its  appearance  more  like  that  of  the 
surrounding  floe. 

Beginning  with  the  first  flush  of  dawn  at  three  A.  M., 
and  ending  with  the  disappearance  of  twilight  at  nine 
p.  M.,  our  days  are  beginning  to  be  very  long.  At  six 
A.  M.  the  anemometer  can  be  read  without  artificial 
light.  Whenever  at  night  tliere  is  no  aurora,  we  can 
see  a  faint  gleam  of  light  on  the  northern  horizon  at 
midnight,  and  thus  trace  the  entire  circuit  of  the  sun. 

The  crew  were  engaged  to-day  in  digging  the  trench 
along  the  starboard  side  of  the  ship.  This  was  a  much 
harder  job  than  digging  on  the  port  side,  because,  on 
account  of  the  heel  of  the  ship  to  starboavJ,  a  greater 
depth  had  to  be  reached  to  get  to  the  doubling.  The 
deeper  the  digging  the  harder  seemed  the  ice,  and, 
finally,  it  w^as  so  hard  and  so  closely  knit  together  as 
to  resemble  flint.  The  freezing  has  been  so  uniform  as 
to  leave  no  pores  or  interstices,  and  pick-axes  have 
nothing  like  the  expected  effect.  Six  hours'  steady  dig- 
ging and  shoveling  gave  about  the  distance  from  the 
quarter  to  the   mainmast.     Another  day  will   be  re- 


280 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANN'ETTE. 


;^k 


M 


f;i 


([uired  to  finisli  the  starboard  trench,  and  then  we  can 
dig  out  the  stem  and  finally  the  bow.  The  ice  has 
regularly  taken  the  exact  shape  of  the  ship,  and  so 
closely  has  it  adhered  to  her  that  in  many  places  the 
fibre  of  the  elm  doubling  is  imprinted  on  the  surround- 


ing mass. 


The  hunters  were  out  again  visiting  the  water  lane, 
and  Alexey  succeeded  in  killing  a  seal  and  bringing  it 
to  the  ship.  This  adds  to  our  larder,  for  as  we  have  had 
seal  every  Sunday  for  dinner  all  winter,  we  had  brought 
down  our  stock  to  one  half  of  one  seal.  These  seals, 
and  the  almost  weekly  ration  of  bear  meat,  have  given 
us  a  certain  amount  of  fresh  provisions  regularly,  and 
have  gone  far  towards  keeping  us  in  good  health. 

March  11th,  Thursday. — The  open  water  reported 
yesterday  remained  closed  over  until  this  afternoon, 
when  it  reopened.  Nindemann  reports  having  seen  a 
walrus  with  a  young  one  on  the  ice.  He  says  the 
young  one  was  fourteen  days  old.  A  bear-track  was 
also  seen  on  the  trail  of  the  walking  parties  of  yester- 
day. Ice  openings  from  S.  S.  E.  and  S.  W.  two  miles 
distant  from  the  ship,  and  much  vapor  rising  therefrom. 
The  temperature  began  at  minus  27°,  and  fell  to  minus 
33.5°  by  seven  a.  m.,  and  then  gradually  rose  to  minus 
21°  by  six  p.  m.  The  next  hour  caused  a  sudden  jump 
of  6°,  and  the  next  of  4^°,  the  temperature  at  eight  p.  M. 
being  minus  10.5°  for  the  first  time  since  January  12th. 
At  midnight  it  had  only  fallen  to  minus  14°.  The  air 
seemed  deliciously  mild  at  this  temperature ;  after  our 
experience  of  minus  forties  and  minus  fifties  so  lately, 
we  are  not  prepared  for  such  a  pleasant  treat  as  the 
present.  An  immediate  consequence  has  been  a  thaw- 
ing of  the  ice  on  the  bulkhead  of  my  room,  and  no 
doubt  a  continuance  of  mild  weather  will  occasion  a 
general  thaw  within  the  ship. 


inll 


THE  RETUUN  OF   DAYLIGHT. 


281 


)orted 

noon, 

een  a 

s  the 

was 

ster- 

miles 

from. 

inns 

inns 

unip 

P.M. 

2th. 

air 

our 

|tely, 

the 

law- 

no 

Hi  a 


March  12th,  Friday.  — "  Pinnp,  pump,  pump  with 
care,"  etc.  The  weather  to-day  is  overcast,  cloudy,  and 
gloomy.  Accustomed  as  we  are  to  bright,  pleasant  days, 
the  occasional  advent  of  a  cloudy  one  makes  us  feel  the 
difference  keenly.  But  we  have  had  to-day  such  a 
novel  experience  of  mild  weather  that  we  have  fairly 
reveled  in  it.  The  day  began  with  a  temperature  of 
minus  14°,  and  by  noon  iiad  risen  to  minus  1°  ;  and  al- 
though it  got  dov/n  to  minus  T  by  nine  p.  m.,  it  rose 
again  to  minus  4"  by  midnight.  Heavy  clothing  seenuMl 
a  burden,  and  fires  almost  absurd.  Had  the  sun  been 
out  it  would  have  made  the  day  perfect.  Our  men  dig- 
ging under  the  stern  worked  barehanded  and  in  their 
shirt  sleeves.  I  kept  my  air-port  open  all  day  and  part 
of  the  evening,  and  in  fact  made  a  regular  "  spring 
opening  "  of  it.  The  travelers  coming  back  to-day  re- 
port having  seen  a  track  resembling  a  Avolf's,  and  they 
bring  in  a  piece  of  snow-covered  ice,  bearing  the  im- 
pression. It  is  pronounced  by  our  experts  a  track  of 
a  veritable  wolf.  About  three  miles  to  the  southward 
Alexey  says  he  came  across  a  bit  of  open  water  so  wide 
that  he  could  not  see  to  the  other  side  of  it. 

March  IWi,  Saiurdcuj.  —  Pumping  and  distilling  as 
usual,  and  I  suppose  such  will  be  the  daily  record  in 
my  journal  until  the  pennant  comes  down  and  the  ship 
is  placed  out  of  connnission.  Sounded  at  noon  in  thirty- 
one  and  a  half  fathoms,  a  S.  W.  drift  indicated  by  the 
lead  line.  Ice  formed  over  sounding  hole  only  two 
inches  since  yesterday.  This  is  the  best  evidence  we 
have  had  of  the  effect  of  the  present  mild  temperature. 
The  weather  to-day  is  rather  gloomy  again.  The  sky 
is  overcast,  and  very  fine  and  light  snow  falls  until 
seven  p.  m.  It  c  in  hardly  be  called  a  snow  fall,  for 
nothing  comes  of  it.     So  light  is  it  that  as  fast  as  it 


ii    Vsl 


m 


'  In  r  '.  '    ■■■■     1    > 


il  i|. 

^1 

i 

\ 

'■    1 

!  1 

1 

282 


THE   VOYA(iK   OF   THE  .lEANNETlK. 


^1 


U\ 


falls  it  is  absorbed  by  the  mixture  of  salt  and  ice  that 
rest  on  the  surface  of  the  Hoe,  and  is  lost  to  us,  that 
is,  we  cannot  hope  for  any  of  it  to  melt  and  use  for 
drinking  water,  to  let  up  on  our  distilling.  The  high 
temperature,  minus  1°  until  noon,  and  even  as  high  as 
0.3'^  at  two  p.  M.,  and  the  falling  snow,  make  the  floe  ice 
quite  soft  and  soggy,  and  leave  us  with  damp  feet  after 
our  hour's  walking.  Tiiis  softness  is  only  suijerficial, 
however,  for  our  men  digging  away  under  the  stern 
find  the  ice  of  the  hardness  of  flint.  1  never  dreamed 
that  ice  could  freeze  so  hard.  But  it  is  proof  enough 
to  see  pick-axes  wielded  by  strong  men  breaking  off 
small  pieces  the  size  of  one's  hand,  instead  of  good 
sized  lumps,  The  mass  of  ice  seems  absolutely  without 
pores  (though,  of  course,  since  the  atoms  of  salt  caught 
up  in  it  cannot  be  destroyed  or  eliminated,  they  must 
be  held  in  minute  cells),  and  clings  to  the  ship's  shape 
as  if  it  formed  a  part  of  her.  Except  by  the  pick-axe 
chipping  off  and  gouging  and  scoring  the  wood,  the  ice 
cannot  be  removed  next  to  the  ship's  skin.  8o  much 
of  the  stern  post  as  has  been  uncovered  seems  to  be 
all  right,  and  we  can  but  hope  that  we  will  find  it  all 
right  in  the  future. 

The  temperature  having  risen  sufficiently  to  keep 
our  liquid  compass  unfrozen,  the  azimuth  is  taken  out 
to-day,  and  the  ship's  head  is  found  to  be  south  39" 
W.  (magnetic).  Chipp  also  determines  our  position  by 
meridian  altitude  of  the  sun  and  a  time  sight  of  the 
moon  to  be  lat.  72°  31'  N.,  and  long.  177°  58'  W.,  al- 
most exactly  our  position  on  December  2d,  supposing 
our  chronometers  have  not  altered  their  errors  and 
rates.  The  drift  since  the  Gtli  inst.,  our  preceding  ob- 
servation, is  thirty-three  miles  N.,  55°  W.,  and  as  that 
is  a  larger  amount  than  we  have  had  in  a  long  time,  I 


e  for 


fi  out 

3r 

in  by 
tlie 
al- 

|)sing 
and 
ob- 

Ithat 

lie,  I 


THE   HETIUN  OF  DAYLIGHT. 


283 


will  here  record  the  attending  circunistiinces  of  the  past 
week's  weather,  etc.,  for  future  consideration  of  its  ef- 
fect OM  the  drift :  — 


Dal.'. 

SiiiiiKliii^'i. 

Drift. 

.VlllollMt. 

Moih'vati'. 

Wiixl 

at  tlinu. 

S.  E. 

1 
Vflocitv 

1 

Miircli  7,  Siiiwliiv. 

'M     fathoms. 

E. 

'       .6 

Miin-li  s.  Mi.iuliiy. 

.SI     fathoms. 

W. 

Moilcratc. 

E. 

i;t 

M;ircli  !i,  Tiu-siliiv. 

.'U     fathoms. 

_ 

Cahii. 

0 

Miirch  10,  WiMliicsiliiv. 

;t(>i  f.it  horns. 

W. 

- 

N. 

2 

M;inli  11.  Tliiirs.liiv. 

;U»"  fathoms. 

W. 

- 

- 

.3 

Miircli  !•-',  l-'ridiiv. 

'M    fathoms. 

N. 

Iia|>i.l. 

S.  K. 

17 

Miircli  i:t,  Sutunlay. 

:<1^  fathoms. 

S.  W. 

Mii(h'rat('. 

\.  K. 

t 

March  14//t,  Simditij.  —  At  eleven  a.  m.  in.spected 
the  ship.  The  berth  deck  was  in  a  fair  condition  with 
re.-ipeet  to  drip,  the  rubber  blankets  being  a  necessity, 
of  course,  over  the  forward  and  after  berth.s.  Consider- 
ing, however,  all  our  surroundings,  and  the  unavoid- 
able dampness  arising  from  the  steady  flowing  of  water 
into  the  fore  peak,  1  must  be  satisfied.  The  deck-house, 
however,  was  wringing  wet.  The  high  temperature  of 
the  past  few  days  sind  the  heat  arising  from  the  Baxter 
boiler  and  stove  have  caused  the  accumulation  of  frost 
on  the  sides  and  roof  to  melt  and  run  down  in  streams. 
The  deck  was  one  large  slop.  80  much  provisions,  etc., 
are  stowed  in  the  house  that  squilgeeing  the  deck  dry 
is  impossible.  Little  rivers  and  rivulets  stream  out 
under  boxes  and  barrels.  Not  having  been  able  to  get 
a  winter  harbor  and  get  superfluous  articles  on  shore,  I 
have  not  been  able  to  put  this  deck-house  to  its  proper 
and  intended  u.se  :  a  living  place  for  the  men.  On  the 
contrary,  it  has  been  nothing  but  a  store-house  and 
workshop. 

The  ward-room  remains  dry  and  comfortable.  The 
cabin  has  responded  to  tb3  rise  in  temperature  by 
thawing  the  accumulation.,  of  ice  back  of  the  lockers, 


I       !■ 


(    I 


2S4 


THE   VOVACIE   OF   TlIK  JKANNET  IE. 


m .    ' 


m 


■!;f" 


^-: 


Ui 


1111(1  pouring  little  streams  aoross  the  (U'ck.  As  the 
ship  heels  'd"  to  starhoanl,  these  little  streams  run  down 
hill  and  eolleet  in  little  puddles  on  the  starhoard  side, 
where  they  are  dried  up.  The  iee  and  frost  back  of 
my  desk  and  hook-sludves  thaw  and  run  down  the 
ciu'ved  poop  to  tile  bulwark,  and  thence  to  the  deck, 
where  the  steward  wipes  them  up  as  liquid  when  he 
can,  or  bresdvs  them  up  with  an  axe  and  renioves  thenj 
with  a  shovel  otherwise.  And  yet  the  shii)'s  company, 
as  a  whole,  are  healthy,  hjippy,  and  contented.  The 
individual  exceptions  are  Danenhower  and  Dunbar. 
Danenhower's  case  drags  its  weary  length  along,  ome 
days  better  some  days  worse,  although  the  operations 
on  his  eye  iiave  not  been  necessary  of  late.  Dunbar  is 
yet  weak  and  feeble,  and  seems  like  an  old  man. 

At  one  p.  M.  read  divine  service  in  the  cabin. 

It  is,  perhaps,  worthy  of  record  here  that  since  Octo- 
})er  1st  we  have  used  but  eighteen  tons  of  coal  for 
heating  the  entire  ship  and  for  cooking,  and,  also,  some- 
times distilling,  and  that  since  January  19th  it  Las  re- 
quired eighteen  tons  to  pump  the  water  out  of  the 
ship.  The  comfort  of  this  latter  part  is,  that  whereas 
we  u.sed  11,000  pounds,  nearly  five  tons,  to  do  our 
pumping  the  first  week  of  the  leak,  we  arc  doing  the 
work  with  1,845  pounds  now,  thanks  to  Melville's  skill 
and  devotion  to  dutv. 

4/ 

We  have  been  able  to  enjoy  a  rare  treat  within  the 
last  few  day.s.  By  some  miscalculation,  I  bought  so 
many  potatoes  the  day  we  left  San  Francisco  that  we 
were  unable  to  eat  them  all  up  to  the  time  they  froze 
solid.  As  cold  weather  approached,  last  fall,  we  stowed 
them  in  a  coal  bunker,  and  ate  them  until,  by  reason  of 
frost,  they  became  insipid  and  tasteless.  In  clearing  up 
the  other  day,  we  came  across  a  bag  which  had  by 


n'3 


TIIK   KETrilN    OF    DAYLICIIT. 


285 


the 
skill 


n 


tl 


Hi 


tilt  so 

at  we 

froze 

ed 

of 


tow 
pon 


her  up 

Id  by 


chtince  remaiiu'd  on  deck  all  winter  oxpo.Mcd,  save  lor 
the  pioteetion  of  tiie  tent  awnin<^,  to  all  the  rigor  of 
this  climate.  As  an  experiment,  one  or  two  were 
placed  in  boiling  water  and  thuH  thawed  and  cooked. 
To  our  surprise  tiiey  tasted  like  idmost  fresh  potatoes. 
The  heart  was  black  and  bad,  but  enough  of  the  outer 
body  remained  to  be  of  use.  By  thawing  ji  few  at  a 
time  we  were  abh'  to  get  a  couple  of  potatoes  apiece  at 
two  nu'als  this  past  week.  The  dilliculty  ab< -.it  having 
tiiem  regularly  and  in  (juantities  is  that  they  turn  the 
liot  water  so  (piickly  into  cold  water  or  ice  in  drawing 
the  frost,  that  the  proper  quantity  would  defeat  tlu'  ob- 
ject altogether. 

The  pumping  goes  on  v,ith  its  accustomed  regularity. 
Two  of  our  men  away  on  the  ice  to-day  report  having 
iired  at  a  bear  and  hit  him,  but  he  managed  to  esctape. 
There  were  brought  in  to-day  from  the  ice  at  .some  dis- 
tance three  species  bivalves,  one  univalve,  two  pieces 
drift-wood,  .some  stones,  and  some  sponges.  The  shells 
can  be  accounted  for,  perhaps,  by  the  habit  of  walruses 
in  digging  them  up  with  their  tusks  and  bringing  them 
to  the  surface. 

March  Hctth,  Monday.  —  The  crew  were  engaged 
again  to-day  in  digging  away  the  ice  under  the  stern. 
Having  reached  a  depth  of  four  feet,  water  connnenced 
to  flow  up  and  freeze  at  the  surface.  As  much  of  the 
stern-post  as  can  be  seen  is  in  good  condition,  and  no 
injury  can  be  discovered  around  the  stern  and  quar- 
ters. Sounds  of  ice  in  motion  to  S.  E.  and  E.  at  four  a.  m. 
Bright,  clear,  and  pleasant  weather.  The  temperature 
begins  at  minus  16°,  and  falls  to  minus  27.5°. 

March  IWt,  Tuesday.  —  Sounded  at  noon  in  thirty 
fathoms  (muddy  bottom).  Ice  formed  five  inches  in 
thickness  over  sounding  hole  since  yesterday.    Temper- 


/ 1 


I: 


!r 


i 

K       ^^' 

iU  •            ' ; 

\ 

il^ 

■1 
lit 

si 

III 

II 

m' 


286 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


ature  rises  from  minus  28°  to  minus  25"  iit  one  p.  m.> 
and  falls  to  minus  SQ"  by  midnight. 

Land  was  sighted  this  afternoon  bearing  S.  S.  W. 
(true).  It  was  in  the  shape  of  two  high  mountains,  or 
peaks,  with  a  saddle  between  them.  Supposing  the 
positions  in  each  case  to  be  accurate,  the  land  is  the 
volcano  marked  by  Captain  Long  as  being  on  Wrangel 
Land,  and  distant  from  us  one  hundred  and  ten  miles. 

The  crew  were  engaged  in  digging  away  the  ice  un- 
der the  bows,  in  order  to  enable  us  to  get  at  the  stem, 
and  perhaps  in  time  at  the  fore  foot,  when  we  can  ascer- 
tain the  extent  of  our  injury.  By  digging  down  un- 
til the  ice  becomes  fairlv  thin  between  the  di(?o;ers  and 
the  water,  and  letting  it  freeze  thicker  below  befoie 
digging  again,  we  may  be  able  to  reach  to  a  good 
depth. 

At  six  p.  M.  Alexey  and  Aneguin,  who  had  been 
jiway  all  day,  came  back  with  a  bear  skin  as  evidence 
of  having  killed  a  bear.  They  came  across  her  and  her 
cub  about  .seven  miles  to  the  westward  of  the  ship. 
Alexey's  two  dogs  at  once  tackled  to  for  fighting,  and 
before  the  bear  was  shot  she  managed  with  her  paws  to 
give  one  of  the  dogs  a  bad  wound  in  the  foreleg,  and 
nearly  to  tear  the  toes  oft'  another.  In  the  melee  the 
cub  escaped.  Knowing  that  it  was  too  late  to  get  the 
carcass  into  the  ship,  the  natives  skinned  it,  and  then 
buried  the  body  under  ice  and  snow  until  to-morrow. 
This  makes  a  welcome  addition  to  our  food  for  the  dogs, 
and  will  enable  us,  I  hope,  to  tide  over  the  present  cold 
snap  until  mild  weather  sets  in,  opens  the  ice,  and  lets 
us  bag  a  few  walruses  and  seals  for  them.  The  ice  is 
getting  uneasy  again,  for  at  four  a.  m.  sounds  of  move- 
ment came  from  the  S.  E.  and  E.,  following  some  short, 
slight  shocks  the  ship  had  experienced  at  three. 


THE   IlETUUN   OK   DAYEIGIIT. 


287 


i  p.  M.> 

s.  w. 

ins,  or 
ig  the 

is  the 
rangel 
miles, 
ice  iin- 
e  stein, 
1  ascer- 
^vn  un- 
ci's and 

before 
a  good 

d   been 
vidence 
md  her 
e  ship, 
ig,  and 
paws  to 
,  and 
lee  the 
ret  tlie 
d  then 
orroNV. 
le  dogs, 
Int  cold 
nd  lets 
3  ice  is 
move- 
short, 


At  one  A.  M.  faint  aurora,  chiefly  in  N.  E.  and  W. 
N.  W.  Lunar  circle.  At  two  a.  m.  very  faint  amoral 
patches.  At  thrOe,  faint  auroral  glimmer  in  W.  N.  W. 
The  sun  was  raised  by  refraction  above  the  horizon  be- 
fore six  A.  M.  At  eleven  a.  m.  broken  curtain  arclu  s 
10°  and  20"  in  altitude  to  N.  E.,  extending  from  E.  to 
N.  At  twelve  the  aurorsd  display  is  thus  described  by 
Mr.  Collins :  "  An  exceptionally  beautiful  auroral  dis- 
play commenced  shortly  before  midnight.  From  W.  by 
S.  to  N.  E.,  and  chieflv  south  of  zenith  from  10"  to  15" 
in  altitude,  an  auroral  band  extended  in  a  series  of  flat, 
semi-elliptical  curves  opening  to  the  northward.  On 
the  inner  or  northwaid  edge  of  the  band  it  was  bril- 
liantly white,  while  the  light  faded  down  towards  the 
southern  horizon  to  a  pale,  cloud-like  intensi  :y,  in  which 
faint  lines  would  o"casionally  show.  To  the  north- 
ward of  the  zenith  very  meagre  bands  of  long  st/  am- 
ers  hung  across  the  sky.  A  peculiarity  of  the  display 
was  the  regularity  with  which  the  curves  (which  were 
moving  slowly  along  the  band  from  W.  to  E.)  broke 
into  rapid  and  distorted  undulations  when  they  arrived 
at  a  point  lying  within  the  space  apparently  occupied 
by  the  constellation  Ursa  Major.  There  the  east  end 
of  the  curve  would  suddenly  deepen  and  double  back 
sharply,  while  the  aurora  would  be  violently  agitated, 
and  would  show  the  prismatic  colors  with  exti'aordinary 
vividness.  Occasionally,  the  organization  of  the  orig- 
inal curve  would  be  maintained,  notwithstanding  the 
exti-aordinary  rapidity  of  the  movements  around  its  mar- 
gin ;  but  usually  the  curve  was  broken,  or  seemed  to 
collapse,  to  be  succeeded  by  forms  in  the  zenith  of  out- 
line indescribable  because  of  the  rapidity  of  the  changes. 
At  thnes  it  seemed  as  if  there  were  two  distinct  strata 
of  aurora,  the  lower  one  being  most  agitated,  so  th.at 


'  II 


m  r 


288 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEAXNETTE. 


'\\\,  f'! 


the  prisiTicatic  colors  in  modified  tints  crossed  and  re- 
crossed  each  other,  while  the  whole  looked  like  a  mag- 
nificent pjiotechnic  display  on  which  various  colors  and 
intense  lights  were  thrown. 

'•In  the  W.  the  band  showed  occasionally  that  at  a 
great  distance  in  that  direction  similar  movement  w^as 
in  progress,  while  to  the  eastward  such  a  movement 
was  plainly  discernible,  the  rapid  changes  of  the  fold- 
ings in  the  band  taking  the  forms  of  spiral  curtains. 
The  whole  display,  after  lasting  a  half  hour,  moved  to 
northward  of  zenith,  fading  as  it  went." 

In  my  remarks  on  the  14th  December,  I  mentioned 
our  experience  in  reference  to  a  statement  of  Wey- 
precht,  that  "  beginning  at  a  certain  thickness  the  ice 
is  almost  free  from  salt."  Besides  testinii;  the  ice  six- 
teen  inches  thick,  we  have  since  tested  ice  four  feet 
thick,  and  found  it  full  of  salt.  Evidently  we  have  not 
reached  that  "  certain  thickness." 

In  Dr.  Kane's  narrative  of  the  De  Haven  Expedition 
he  makes  the  following  statements :  '*  By  the  time  we 
had  reached  the  middle  of  Barrow  Strait,  and  the  win- 
ter's midnight  of  December  had  darkened  around  us, 
our  thermometer  indicating  a  mean  of  15°  and  20°  be- 
low zero,  the  ice  attained  a  thickness  of  three  feet,  with 
an  almost  flinty  hardness,  and  a  splintering  fracture  at 
right  anglet,  to  its  horizontal  plane.  Such  ice  was  at  its 
surface  completely  fresh,  and  when  tested  with  nitrate 
of  silver  gave  not  the  slightest  discoloration."  To  ques- 
tion such  an  authority  as  Dr.  Kane  is  considered  to  liave 
been  is  a  somewhat  rash  undertaking  for  me,  but  I  as- 
sert that  we  have  tried  all  thicknesses  of  ice,  from  surface 
efflorescence  to  floe  pieces  eight  feet  in  thickness  (which 
had  been  up-ended  in  pressures),  and  have  never  found 
any  which  would  upon  melting  give  potable  water.     If 


THE  UETUUN  OF  DAYLIGHT. 


289 


his  nitrate  of  silver  had  any  nitrate  of  silver  about  it, 
his  test  must  have  been  a  good  one ;  and  the  extraor- 
dinary, and  even  marvelous  and  miraculous,  finding  of 
fresh  ice  (potable  water)  may  be  ascribed  to  the  pres- 
ence of  fresh-water  ice  from  the  land,  which  presence 
can  only  be  accounted  for  by  the  equally  miraculous 
floe  of  melting  glacier  upon  a  salt  ocean,  remaining  ac- 
commodatingly unruffled  until  the  superimposed  fluid 
had  had  time  to  freeze. 

Again  Dr.  Kane  says  that  the  floes  "  which  had 
formed  in  mid  winter  at  temperatures  belo\.  minus  30° 
were  still  fresh  and  pure,  while  the  floes  of  slower 
growth,  or  of  the  early  and  late  portions  of  the  season, 
were  distinctly  saline.  Indeed,  ice  which  only  two 
months  before  I  had  eaten  with  pleasure,  was  now  so 
salt  that  the  very  snow  which  covered  it  was  no  longer 
drinkable."  In  respect  to  this  I  can  only  say  that  we 
have  tried  ice  frozen  at  all  temperatures,  from  zero  to 
minus  30°,  and  have  never  had  the  same  satisfactory 
result.  And  Dr.  Walker,  who  was  with  McClintock  in 
the  Fox,  says  (as  further  and  more  worthy  authority 
than  my  statement),  ''  Yet  in  no  case  (and  my  observa- 
tions extend  from  below  the  freezing  point  to  minus 
42°)  could  1  obtain  fresh  water,  the  purest  being  of 
specific  gravity  1.005,  and  affording  abundant  evidence 
of  the  presence  of  salts,  especially  chloride  of  sodium, 
rendering  it  unfitted  for  culinary  purposes,  much  less 
for  photographic  use."  And  he  further  says :  ''  Per- 
haps the  statement  of  Dr.  Kane  that  sea-water  ice,  un- 
der certain  circumstances,  is  completely  free  from  salt, 
may  be  explained  by  the  following  facts  and  experi- 
ments :  After  our  winter  preparations  had  been  com- 
menced, and  the  pool  of  fresh  water  (from  melting 
snow)  had  been  frozen  over,  the  men  sent  out  to  bring 
19 


i    ■  S- 


290 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEAXNETTE. 


in  snow  for  culinary  purposes  brought  in  some  ice  in- 
stead ;  this  they  obtained  from  some  hummock  near  the 
ship,  these  hummocks  being  part  of  the  formation  of 
the  previous  winter's  pack  in  which  we  were  caught. 
Tlie  ice  turned  out  to  be  sufficiently  fresh  for  all  the 
purposes  of  domestic  use.  On  several  occasions  the 
parties  sent  out  for  this  ice,  digging  too  deep  into 
the  hummock,  and  not  content  with  the  surface  pieces, 
fountl  that  the  ice  was  no  longer  fresh,  but  quite  salt  — 
this  ice  being  a  continuation  of  the  same  hummock, 
and  also  of  the  previous  winter's  growth." 

Now,  it  is  a  matter  of  historical  record  that  the  De 
Haven  Expedition  had  scurvy,  De  Haven  being  among 
the  invalids.  Weyprofeht's  party  also  had  scurvy ;  and 
later  still  the  English  Expedition  of  1875  broke  down 
with  it.  Dr.  Kane,  with  nitrate  of  silver,  could  find 
no  salt  in  ice  formed  from  salt-water ;  and  the  sur- 
geon of  the  Alert  says  he  tested  the  water  used  with 
nitrate  of  silver,  and  found  it  perfectly  pure.  The 
water  used  was  from  refrozen  pools  of  water  on  the  top 
of  a  lloeberg.  Dr.  Walker  further  says :  '•  On  the  12th 
and  loth  August,  1857,  whilst  lying  off  Browne  Islands, 
and  within  about  ^.ouv  miles  of  the  glacier,  surrounded 
by  bergs,  I  noticcl  an  appearance  like  oil  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  water.  On  closer  inspection  and  testing, 
this  proved  to  be  fresh  water  floating  on  the  surface  of 
the  salt  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three  inches.  The  sun 
beaming  down  upon  the  bergs  had  melted  the  ice  and 
snow  ;  this  running  off,  floated  on  the  surface  and  re- 
mained separate  so  long  as  there  was  no  wind  to  mix 
and  agitate  the  fluids  of  different  densities.  To  a  com- 
bination of  such  circumstances,  with  an  after-freezing 
of  this  surface  water,  do  these  fresh  hummocks  owe 
their  origin.     The  water^  being  frozen  in  this  state,  and 


and 


THE   RETURN  OF  DAYLIGHT. 


291 


With 
The 
le  top 
12th 
inds, 
inclcHl 
siir- 
thig. 
ce  of 
e  sun 
and 
kI  re- 
mix 
coui- 
3/;mg- 
owe 
,  and 


afterwards  the  ice  elevated  into  the  huinniocks,  afforded 
us  a  '  drinkable  element '  during  the  winter  ;  and  when 
the  men  had  exhausted  the  supply  of  top-pieces,  they 
supposing  that  all  was  alike,  continued  their  lal)ors,  but 
were  disappointed  in  obtaining  salt-water  ice  instead  of 
fresh." 

May  it  not  be  within  the  limits  of  possibility  that  the 
men  of  the  De  Haven  Expedition  dug  too  deep  at  times, 
and  that  brackish  water,  or  at  least  not  potable  water, 
was  consumed  in  sufficient  quantities  to  sow  the  seeds 
of  scurvy,  which,  by  hard  work  and  exposure  in  the 
case  of  sledge-parties,  and  dampness  and  foul  air  in  the 
case  of  the  ship-keepers,  came  to  maturity  ? 

As  if  to  remove  all  linjyerinn;  doubt  as  to  his  mean- 
ing.  Dr.  Kane  says :  ''  The  surface  crust  bore  me  readily 
this  evening  at  a  temperature  of  21"  and  19°,  giving  no 
evidence  of  thaw.  Beneath,  for  two  inches,  it  was  crisp 
and  fresh.  As  I  tried  it  lower,  cutting  carefully  with 
my  bear-knife,  it  became  spongy  and  brackish.  At 
eight  inches  remarkably  so ;  and  at  and  below  twelve, 
salt-water  paste.  On  the  other  hand,  all  my  observa- 
tions, and  I  have  made  a  great  many,  prove  to  me  that 
cold,  if  intense  enough,  will,  by  its  unaided  action,  in- 
dependent of  percolation,  solar  heat,  depending  posi- 
tion, or  even  depth  of  ice,  produce  from  salt  water  a 
fresh,  pure,  and  drinkable  element."  We  have  con- 
ducted many  experiments  with  no  such  experience  to 
record.  And  in  order  that  I  may  have  it  in  a  succinct 
and  comprehensive  sha])e,  I  have  requested  Dr.  Ambler 
to  make  me  an  official  report  on  the  whole  subject, 
which  will  make  'up  our  version  of  the  fresh  water 
question.     (See  Appendix  F.) 

March  11th,  Wednesday.  — The  crew  were  engaged 
again  to-day  in  digging  away  the  ice  under  the  bows. 


\:\ 


im 

1        -t 

i 

J        ; 

;■-    - 

'^  i  •; 

•t      [f     ;; 

k    ' 

■■  i  ^  i 

bi 

'f'")l1 


292 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


We  have  now  got  down  to  the  eight  foot  mark,  and 
have  3uch  a  thin  laver  of  ice  between  tlie  hole  and  the 
water  that  digging  has  to  cease.  If  we  let  the  water 
through  it  will  How  up  and  freeze,  and  we  shall  have  a 
mess  again  up  to  the  original  level ;  but  if  we  let  the 
freezing  go  on  downward  for  some  time  we  may  be  able 
to  dig  deeper.  In  connection  with  this  freezing  down- 
ward, it  is  a  subject  of  inquiry  as  to  what  depth  this 
freezing  can  take  place.  We  have  not  seen  any  single 
floe  of  greater  thickness  than  seven  feet,  ten  inches, 
and  I  suppose  that  eight  feet  may  be  assumed  as  the 
maximum  thickness  of  floe  ice  by  direct  freezing,  as 
stated  by  Dr.  Kane.  Dr.  Walker  says  that  the  floe  ice 
in  which  the  Fox  drifted  had  only  Ave  feet  of  thick- 
ness. The  tloe  which  we  saw  and  measured  as  having 
seven  feet  ten  inches  thickness  was  a  portion  of  floe 
hove  up  in  the  great  pressures  in  November ;  but 
whether  it  was  direct  freezing,  or  a  series  of  two  or 
more  floes  overlying  each  other,  I  cannot  say.  When 
we  floated  out  to  open  water  on  November  28th,  I  com- 
menced the  reguL.r  measurement  of  the  ice  as  it  froze 
by  measuring  in  the  lire-hole.  The  last  measurement 
made  was  on  the  17th  January,  when  the  direct  freez- 
ing was  forty-six  inches  since  November  28th.  This 
was  a  piece  of  ice  formed  around  us,  and  which  had 
been  up-ended  in  pressure.  Measurements  in  the  fire- 
hole  had  become  unsatisfactory,  because  of  the  ten- 
dency of  the  ice  to  assume  the  sides  of  an  inverted 
funnel,  and  lead  to  grave  doubts  as  to  the  position  of 
our  measuring-rod.  On  the  4tli  March  a  crack  in  the 
floe  enabled  us  to  get  a  thickness  of  four  feet,  direct 
freezing  of  thirty  days,  the  freezing  having  commenced 
when  we  had  a  temperature  of  minus  36.5°,  and  con- 
tinued while   the   highest   temperature    recorded  was 


.l{k 


THE   RETURN  OF  DAYLIGHT. 


203 


tiark,  and 
e  and  the 
the  water 
lU  have  a 
ve  let  the 
ly  be  able 
ng  down- 
epth  this 
my  single 
n  inches, 
led  as  the 
;ezing,  as 
e  floe  ice 
of  thick- 
as  having 
jn  of  floe 
iber ;   but 
)f  two  or 
^     When 
li,I  coni- 
s  it  froze 
Isurement 
ct  freez- 
h.     This 
licli  had 
thefire- 
the   ten- 
inverted 
sition  of 
k  in  the 
t,  direct 
imenced 
nd  con- 
lled  was 


minus  22°,  and  the  lowest  minus  53°.  So  much  of  the 
floe  in  which  the  ship  is  held  is  imdorrun  by  other  floes, 
that  finding  a  clear  place  to  bore  for  a  single  thickness 
is  like  looking  fq^^  a  needle  in  a  hay-stack.  I  have  con- 
cluded to  wait  until  a  fresh  break  will  enable  us  to  get 
a  correct  vertical  measurement  of  the  thickness  of  ice 
frozen  since  November  28th.  As  ice  is  a  non-conductor 
of  heat,  it  follows  that  there  must  be  some  thickness  at 
which  the  ice  prevents  the  heat  escaping  from  the  water 
under  it,  and  places  a  limit  to  the  depth  of  freezing. 
At  the  time  the  ice  was  four  feet  thick  the  surface 
floated  only  four  inches  above  the  level  of  the  water. 

The  bear  which  Alexey  shot  yesterday  was  brought 
in  by  him  and  a  dog-team  to-day.  Nothing  could  be 
seen  of  the  cub. 

For  the  first  time  in  the  memory  of  the  individuals 
of  this  expedition  we  have  seen  a  17th  of  March  (St. 
Patrick's  Day)  that  was  not  stormy.  One  of  our  dogs, 
an  old  one,  having  a  comical  and  quizzical  counte- 
nance, had  long  since  been  named  "  Paddy,"  and  to- 
day he  was  treated  to  a  piece  of  green  ribbon  around 
his  neck,  and  placed  alongside  of  the  Baxter  engine,  a 
proceeding  so  unusual  as  to  occasion  him  considerable 
astonishment.  The  dogs  in  general,  and  the  names 
given  to  some  of  them,  merit  a  special  mention,  which 
I  shall  give  them  some  day.  Kasmatka,  Tom,  Quick- 
silver, Jack  or  Prince,  Smike,  Snoozer,  Bismarck,  Paddy, 
Skinny,  Foxy,  Plug  Ugly,  Dewclaws,  Joe  and  Jim, 
Johnny  Armstrong,  Dan,  and  Wolf. 

March  ISth,  Thursday.  —  Land  was  sighted  in  the 
afternoon  bearing  S., —  the  direction  of  the  north  side 
of  Wrangel  Land.  The  sky  became  streaky  and  ugly 
looking,  promising  some  bad  weather.  The  wind  com- 
menced to  moan  through    the    rigging  sharply.      By 


294 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


!.   ! 


1'' 


I. 


r  -I 


i   , 


IJu 


!■■  1    ,:     < 


iJl'iri 


eleven  the  wind  got  to  and  remained  at  W.,  blowing 
at  midnight  with  a  velocity  of  ten  miles  per  hour.  At 
midnight  lunar  halo  4^  in  diameter,  showing  prismatic 
colors.  Strong  light  reflected  from  the  lloe  while  under 
the  moon. 

March  Idfh,  Frldaij. —  A  day  without  any  extraor- 
dinary occurrence,  except  !.hat  at  five  p.  m.,  local  time, 
the  sun  crossed  the  line  coming  N.,  and  had  as  an  ac- 
companiment all  day  a  brisk  N.  N.  W.  wind,  overcast  and 
cloudy  about  one  half  the  time.  Much  snow  dust  driven 
in  the  air  by  the  gusts.  If  it  were  not  for  one  or  two 
snow  storms  last  fall  (which,  however,  did  not  amount 
to  much)  we  should  not  have  known  what  snow  was 
from  our  experience  here.  Much  of  the  snow  dust  now 
blowing  about  is  from  the  efflorescence  of  the  floe.  At 
seven  and  eight  a.  m.  five  sun  dogs  in  the  sky.  At  mid- 
night liuiar  halo,  showing  faint  prismatic  colors. 

March  20th,  Saturday.  —  Weather  clear  and  pleasant. 
To  my  great  satisfaction,  as  insuring  a  certain  amount 
of  food  for  the  dogs,  Alexey  shot  an  immense  walrus 
to-day.  So  large  was  he  that  thirty  of  the  dogs  and 
four  men  could  not  drag  him  in  over  the  rough  ice, 
and  he  was  cut  in  two  and  one  half  brought  in,  leaving 
the  other  half  until  to-morrow.  A  rough  calculation  of 
his  weight  would  give  a  ton,  although  Nindemann  says 
he  should  have  put  him  at  2,800  lbs.  It  is  a  fortunate 
thing  that  our  dogs  are  not  particular  as  to  what  they 
eat,  —  seal,  bear,  walrus,  condemned  meat,  fish,  slops, 
all  come  alike  to  them.  Quantity  rather  than  quality 
is  the  great  object  for  their  consideration. 

Our  position  to-day  by  Chipp's  observations  of  the  sun 
is  in  latitude  72°  22'  30"  N.,  and  longitude  177°  27'  03" 
VV.,  showing  a  a:\ii  since  the  13th  inst.  of  thirteen  miles 
to  the  S.  49''  E.     Until  the  temperature  and  the  sun's 


\ 


THE   KKTUHN  OF   DAYLIGHT. 


295 


saving 


le  sun 
17'  03" 

miles 

sun'.s 


altitude  make  it  possible  to  take  the  daily  observations 
to  some  purpose,  it  will  be  difficult  to  oounoct  any  par- 
ticular drift  with  any  particular  wind.  I  am  quite  con- 
vinced that  during  the  past  winter  our  drifting  has 
been  entirely  caused  by  the  winds  and  not  by  any  cur- 
rent. 

Marcli  21.s'^,  Sundcnj.  —  Pumping  and  distilling  as 
usual.  At  eleven  a.  m.  I  inspected  the  ship.  The  damp- 
ness on  the  berth  deck  has  been  somewhat  bettor  dur- 
ing the  past  week.  We  have  been  fortunate  in  keeping 
the  beds  dry  even  at  the  worst,  and  but  few  of  the 
blankets  even  have  got  damp.  Thanks  to  rubber  blan- 
kets, and  the  system  of  overhauling  and  turning  up  the 
bedding  every  morning,  the  berths  have  been  kept 
fairly  dry  and  comfortable.  Having  abolished  the  fire 
in  the  declc-house,  except  on  washing  days  (Mondays), 
we  save  some  drip  and  wet  in  that  place,  and  also  di- 
minish our  coal  expenditure  daily  to  fifty  pounds. 

The  fire  in  the  ward-room  has  only  been  lighted 
once  a  week  heretofore  (Saturday  nights,  to  heat  water 
for  bathing),  but  it  made  things  so  uncomfortable  for 
Danenhower  (our  steady  sick  man)  that  for  the  last  two 
i>aturdays  it  has  been  discontinued  and  will  not  be  re- 
sumed. All  winter  the  officers  have  been  sleeping  at 
temperatures  at  and  below  32°,  and  are  none  the  worse 
for  it,  seemingly  preferring  it.  The  great  advantage  of 
it  has  been  the  perfect  dryness  which  prevailed  there 
at  all  times. 

At  one  P.  M.  read  divine  service  in  the  cabin.  From 
eight  p.  M.  to  midnight  we  had  a  fall  of  soft  snow.  The 
temperature,  which  began  at  minus  26°,  rose  to  minus 
5.5°,  making  the  air  feel  quite  mild  and  pleasant.  The 
ice  was  in  motion  again  to  the  N.  E.  at  four  A.  m. 

The  men  and  dogs  went  out  again  this  morning  and 


^  -■    > 
1    %     , 
f.        f     ■ 

J          1 

i    ' 

;     , : ! 

1    ' 

i  ■  1 

1 

!i    '  ^ 

f 

1 

Ij 

1         ■  :,: 

i- 

1 

Uj 

1 

206 


THE  VOYA(JK   OF   THE  .TEANNETTE. 


:    T 


I         i 


'      I 


brought  in  the  roinainiiig  half  of  the  walrus  shot  yes- 
tordiiy,  and  by  great  good  luck  Alexey  shot  another 
one,  and  secured  him  ready  for  dragging  in  to-morrow. 
This  sets  us  at  ease  for  dog  food,  for  we  have  now  two 
walruses  and  one  bear  as  a  stock  on  hand.  The  last 
bear  killed  (a  nursing  she-bear)  does  not  seem  in  good 
condition  for  our  eating,  and  we  shall  turn  her  over  to 
the  dogs. 

3lffn'h  2od,  TueHdaij.  —  The  crew  were  engaged  in 
digging  away  the  ice  under  the  bows.  We  got  down  to 
{»  point  on  the  stem  where  the  draught  would  bo  six  and 
one  half  feet,  and  not  caring  to  dig  any  deeper,  lest  we 
should  break  throujirh  the  remaiuiny;  ice  and  aduiit  the 
water,  the  digging  was  discontinued.  At  that  depth  no 
injiuy  could  be  detected,  although  diligent  search  was 
made.  The  whole  bow  was  dug  out  to  that  depth,  as 
far  aft  as  the  line  of  the  bulkhead  which  we  built  across 
the  fore  peak,  and  not  a  sign  of  an  injury  could  be 
found.  I  am  more  than  ever  of  the  opinion  tliat  our 
forefoot  is  the  seat  of  the  damage.  At  midnight,  how- 
ever, all  our  lnI)or  was  in  one  sense  lost,  for  the  pres- 
siu'e  of  the  water  underneath  was  too  much  for  the  thhi 
layer  of  reniiiining  ice,  and  holes  were  broken  through 
sufficient  to  flood  the  large  pit  under  the  bow. 

The  only  thing  worthy  of  note  to-day  was  a  parhelion 
at  noon,  consisting  of  a  circle  of  faint  prismatic  colors 
and  35°  in  diameter  around  the  sun,  with  a  mock  sun 
on  either  side,  and  an  inverted  arch  2°  above  it  show- 
ing strong  prismatic  colors.  Our  days  are  lengthening 
in  the  most  comfortable  manner,  although  the  temper- 
ature still  keeps  low.  Broad  daylight  until  7.30  p.  m. 
is  something  worth  having.  A  light  is  needed  to  read 
the  instruments  at  eight  p.  m.,  and  for  that  only,  for 
there  is  light  enough  for  all  other  practical  purposes. 


t, 


THE   UETUllN   OF   DAYMCIIT. 


207 


trii 


ad 
or 


It  is  not  so  very  long  ago  as  it  seoins  to  ine  when  I  re- 
corded it  as  sometliing  noteworthy  that  we  could  read 
the  anemometer  at  noon  without  a  lantern.  In  fact, 
there  are  some  among  us  who  claim  to  be  able  to  see  it 
even  at  midnight  when  there  is  no  moon. 

By  this  morning  the  water  was  at  the  height  of  ten 
feet  ten  inches  on  the  stem,  and  had  there  reached  it;* 
level.  I  do  not  tliink  the  ship  would  draw  that  amount 
of  water  were  she  free  to  float,  for  she  is  no  doubt 
firmly  held  by  the  nuiss  of  ice  which  formed  around 
her  since  our  coming  here  on  the  2")th  November,  at 
which  time  her  draught  of  water  was  nearly  eleven  feet 
forward.  When  she  does  get  free  I  think  she  will  draw 
much  less  forward,  because  we  have  been  steadily  light- 
ening her  by  consumption  of  coal  and  by  moving  so 
many  weights  aft.  Additional  lightening  forward  will 
be  attempted  when  mild  weather  comes,  by  trinuuing 
all  the  coal  and  getting  more  provisions  aft,  my  ol)ject 
being  to  get  the  water  level  l)elow  the  line  of  the  berth 
deck.  This  we  can  do  with  a  draught  of  nine  feet,  and 
then  we  can  shut  the  bulkhead  across  the  fore  peak  and 
manage  to  carry  the  fore  peak  full  of  water  without 
danger,  stopping  our  steam  pumping  and  saving  coal. 

We  went  to  work  again  to-day  digging  away  the  ice 
under  the  stern,  so  as  to  get  the  propeller  frame  and 
perhaps  one  blade  clear.  Land  was  seen  in  the  after- 
noon bearing  S., —  the  same  two  peaks  with  a  saddle 
between  them  which  we  have  seen  before,  and  sujipose 
to  be  the  N.  side  of  Wrant>:el  Land. 

March  2^th,  TIairsdcuj.  —  Weather  clear  and  pleas- 
ant until  ten  a.  m.,  the  wind  prevailing  from  W.  S.  W. 
From  ten  a.  m.  to  ton  r.  m.  the  skv  was  overcast,  and 
from  noon  till  six  p.  m.  a  thick  fog  surrounded  us.  Many 
openings  occurred  in  the  ice  between  S.  E.  and  S.  W., 


V.  ■■ 


!r 


■■Mi 

nil 


lU: 


Ij 


! 
I  !>1 


'•11 


fl 

'■'  • 

1 

s  1 

■  i 

1 

.■M 

y 

i-'l 

tl 

■.,      ■       T 

21)8 


TIIK    VOYAGi:   OF   TIIK  .IKANNKTTE. 


iiidiriUed  hy  1;ii',l!;('  qiiantitios  of  oscnjilng  vapor,  suc- 
ceeded by  II  wftter-sky.  I  am  inclined  to  think  tliat 
niucli  if  not  all  of  tiie  wnter-skies  we  read  about  dur- 
ing!; winter,  spriuL;;.  and  fall,  instead  of  indicatinjj;  water 
spaces  at  that  nionicut  indicate  where  open  water  has 
been.  For,  when  ()[)cninii;s  occur  at  a  time  at  which  the 
temperature  of  the  air  is  below  that  of  the  uncovered 
water,  such  masses  of  vapor  are  <j^'iven  otf  that  the  air  is 
filled  with  them  in  their  inunediate  locality.  When  the 
younjjj  ice  forms  on  the  surface,  the  escape  of  vapor 
ceases.  The  color  of  the  new  ice  is.dark  green  or  dark 
blue  until  the  elUorescence  occurs,  and  it  is  this  dark 
space  retlected  in  the  sky  as  in  a  mirror  (in  broad  con- 
trast to  the  dead  whiteness  of  the  reflected  ice-field) 
that  gives  risi'  to  the  reports  of  extraordinary  continu- 
ance of  open  water. 

In  digging  away  the  ice  under  the  stern  we  suc- 
ceeded in  uncovering  the  upper  part  of  the  propeller 
frame,  and  then  had  to  stop  lest  we  should  make  the 
remaining  layer  of  ice  too  thin  for  the  pressure  of  water 
from  below.     No  sign  of  any  damage  was  apparent. 

We  are  extremely  fortunate  in  lying  here  so  long 
without  having  serious  disturbance.  Since  the  19th  of 
January,  when  we  were  injured,  we  have  had  no  seriou.s 
confliQ.t  with  our  enemy.  Every  new  and  full  moon, 
however,  the  ice  has  opened,  and  the  horrible  grinding 
and  crashing  has  gone  on,  but  at  such  distances  from  us 
as  to  be  inoffensive.  Almost  every  day  somebody  has 
seen  the  result  of  pressures,  —  great  confused  masses 
piled  up  thirty  and  forty  feet  in  height.  Sharvell  came 
in  the  other  day  and  said  he  saw,  about  five  miles  north- 
west of  the  ship,  ice  piled  up  as  high  as  our  mast-head. 
He  evidently  regards  our  destruction,  by  reason  of  our 
reaching  that  mountain  of  ice,  or  that  mountam  of  ice 


\m  us 

has 

pisses 

;aine 

>rth- 

our 

ice 


TlIK    KKTUUN   (»F   DAVLKMIT. 


li '.»'.) 


ronrhinj:^  us,  ns  moroly  a  question  of  time  ;  for  lio  nskod 
Mc'lvillo  tho  otluT  (lay  why  I  was  haviui;'  tlic  ])\<r  wnh'us 
slvull  cleaned  and  saved,  for  when  the  ship  was  smashed 
such  a  hjtr  head  would  he  a  heavy  weight  to  draij;'  over 
the  ice. 

Although  the  coinniolions  in  the  ice  at  a  distance 
have  not  al'fected  our  lloe,  it  has  undergone  change 
from  another  cause.  At  dilTerent  times  this  winter 
when  we  have  had  trouble  dosi?  aboard,  the  pressures 
and  upheavals  have  mad*;  our  lloe  hum])y  and  ridgy,  in 
some  places  confused  piles  of  ice  standing  live  and  six 
feet,  and  sometimes  twenty  feet  in  hei'dit.  Not  only 
the  height  but  the  shape  of  these  piles  li  -  changed. 
At  lirst  I  supposed  it  might  have  been  a  kind  of  settlhig 
down  or  coming  in  closer  contact  by  downw  weight 
and  pressure  constantly  api)lied  to  a  smoother  floe  be- 
neath, but  now  I  have  become  convinced  that  it  is 
caused  by  the  wind.  The  steady  friction  on  the  ex- 
posed surfaces,  i]i  part,  and  the  actioti  of  driving  snow 
dust  and  salty  elUorescence  acting  after  the  manner  of 
a  sand-blast  have  slowly  but  surely  ground  the  surfaces 
down.  When  in  high  winds  the  driving  of  snow  and 
salt  from  the  surface  of  the  lloe  has  made  our  faces 
tingle  and  smart  like  so  many  needle  pricks,  it  nuist 
have  had  an  appreciable  effect  on  intervening  blocks 
of  ice. 

Another  curious  fact,  though  easily  explained,  has 
come  \mder  our  notice.  The  ice  floats  deeper  in  winter 
than  in  summer.  To  do  this  its  density  must  be  greater, 
and  our  experience  in  ice  digging  ha."  shown  that  it  has 
been  of  the  hardness  and  closeness  of  Hint.  When  we 
came  into  the  ice  in  August  and  September,  we  found 
it  to  some  extent  soft  and  honey-combed,  being  so  ren- 
dered by  the  warmth  of  the  water  induced  by  the  heat 


If 


300 


TFIE   VOYAGE   OF   THE  .TEANNETTE. 


if  : 


w 


:ii 


'1  r 


of  the  summer  siin,  and  in  consequence  it  floated  higher 
above  the  surface. 

March  26th,  Friday.  —  Sounded  at  noon  in  tliirty 
fathoms,  muddy  bottom.  Strong  drift  to  W.  indicated 
by  lead  line  ;  so  strong  was  it  that  Mr.  Dunbar  had 
great  difficulty  in  getting  an  up  and  down  sounding, 
the  lead  being  swept  off  the  bottom.  Ice  three  inches 
in  thickness  formed  over  sounding  hole  since  noon  yes- 
terday. A  fresh  gale  from  E.  S.  E.  and  E.  all  day.  The 
temperature  began  at  minus  12.5°,  but  by  ten  A.  m.  had 
gone  up  to  zero,  and  after  having  reached  4.5",  closed 
the  day  at  o°.  So  much  heat  was  startling,  and  induced 
us  to  face  the  wind  for  its  soft  and  warm  effects. 

Clear  and  pleasant  weather  until  sunrise  just  before 
six  A.  M.,  when  it  became  overcast  and  gloomy  and  re- 
mained so.  Much  fine  driving  snow  fell,  and  as  soon 
as  it  had  drifted  into  little  ridges,  say  six  inches  deep,  I 
scooped  up  two  handfuls  of  it  and  had  the  surgeon  test 
it ;  but  alas !  even  newly  fallen  snow  had,  in  being 
flriven  across  the  face  of  the  tloe,  caught  up  and  car- 
ried along  too  much  salt.  I  shall  soon  believe  that  it 
drops  salt  from  the  sky.  We  also  had  a  thick  fog  for 
five  or  six  hoiu's  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  Previous 
thereto  the  ice  opened  and  clouds  of  vapor  escaped, 
and  then  the  opening  must  have  been  so  extensive 
as  to  cause  the  fog. 

March  21th.  Saturday.  —  A  breezy  day.  The  tem- 
perature commenced  at  4°,  and  went  up  steadily  to  13" 
as  the  day  ended.  Much  fog  between  six  and  ten  p.  m., 
proceeding  from  evidently  extensive  openings  in  the 
ice  to  the  southward  and  eastward  of  the  ship.  By 
Chipp's  observations  to-day  we  are  in  latitude  N.  ,  ' 
29',  loncyitude  178°  07'  W.,  showintr  a  drift  since  the 
20th  inst.,  of  fourteen  miles  to  N.  63°  W.     This  is  prob- 


(1. 


<  11 


THE   RETlTiN   OF   DAYLIGHT. 


301 


tcm- 

'.  M., 

the 
Bv 

I 

the 
)roh- 


ably  the  result  of  the  fresh  E.  and  S.  E.  Avinds  we  have 
liad  for  the  past  two  days.  In  a  few  days  1  shall  re- 
lieve Chipp  of  the  extra  duty  of  taking  sights,  and 
shall  make  daily  observations,  when  possible,  for  posi- 
tion to  determine  the  extent  and  character  of  our  drift, 
and  its  connection  with  the  direction  and  force  of  the 
wind. 

March  2Sth,  Sunday.  —  Pumping  and  distilling  as 
usual.  A  singular  circumstance  occurred  duriny;  the 
past  week  in  connection  with  the  leak.  On  Wednesday 
and  Thursday  the  amount  of  water  coming  into  the 
lire-room  was  about  eight  times  as  much  as  before  and 
since.  No  greater  amount  of  Av'ater  seemed  to  come  in 
forward,  but  yet  it  was  necessary  to  keep  the  steam- 
cutter's  engine  going  nearly  all  the  time  aft.  During 
these  two  days  the  forge  was  lighted  in  the  lire-room, 
for  some  macliinist's  work,  and  as  the  heat  from  it  was 
sent  up  the  smoke-stack  we  supposed  that  it  might  have 
caused  a  melting  of  the  ice  therein,  and  thus  added 
to  the  amount  of  water  in  the  fire-room  bilge.  To 
strengthen  this  supposition,  when  the  fire  was  extin- 
guished the  water  went  back  to  its  old  condition.  But 
then,  to  our  surprise,  the  fire-hole,  about  thirty  feet 
from  the  mizzen  chains,  was  found  closed  up,  a  slab  of 
ice  liaving  shoved  in  under.  Now  what  change  could 
have  gone  on  under  the  ship  to  alfect  tlio  leak?  At  no 
time  was  any  sound  heard  by  us  in  the  cabin,  the  men 
in  the  forecastle,  or  the  watch  in  the  tire-room.  The 
whole  tiling  is  a  puzzle  to  us  yet. 

At  midnight  a  faint  dawn  lio;ht  could  be  seen  on  the 
northern  horizon.  At  eleven  a.  m.  I  inspected  the  ship. 
The  berth  deck  has  been  somewhat  drier  during  the 
past  week,  but  the  deck-house  is  and  has  been  in  a 
fearful  slop.    This  is  luiavoidable,  because,  however  un- 


)    1 


^      r 


1 

n 

|, 

m 

1  w 

T  1 

i 

h 

ff 

1 

1) 

■!.    ' 

1 

1! 

]0 

h 

1- 

mI 

ii 

la  i  '  f. 


if  I 


I 


' «, 


M 


its 


302 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNE'LTE. 


necessaiy  heating  may  have  been,  during  the  past  week 
we  have  been  obliged  to  keep  the  Baxter  going,  to  run 
the  forward  biige-pump. 

If  we  onlv  could  cret  down  to  the  leak  and  tinker  at 

V  CD 

it  we  might  do  something.  If  we  could  have  open 
water  enough  we  might  build  a  coffer  dam  and  get  it 
under  the  bow ;  or  if  we  could  get  the  ship  into  a  har- 
bor and  beach  her,  we  would  be  all  right :  but  these 
things  seem  impossible  in  our  present  position.  The 
amount  of  care  and  anxiety  on  my  mind,  trymg  to  plan 
all  things  for  the  best,  will  last  me  for  my  lifetime. 

A  result  of  the  high  temperature  to-diy  was  the  cov- 
ering of  all  the  bolt-heads  on  the  on.  idi  >''  ti  -.  ship 
with  frost.  The  heat  of  the  sun  has  kii^;;  siuoe  melted 
all  the  snow  on  our  black  sides,  and  the  round  masses 
of  frost  r.tood  out  like  white  bull's-eyes.  The  metal 
bolts  have  been  so  cold  that  the  coming  in  contact  v/ith 
a  warmer  air  has  condensed  and  deposited  the  frost.  At 
one  p.  M.  performed  divine  service  in  the  cabin.  Alexey 
and  Aneguin  were  out  to-day  in  quest  of  game,  and 
going  about  two  miles  to  the  S.  E.  of  the  ship  cauie  to 
open  water,  in  which  thoy  shot  a  seal.  While  Aneguin 
came  back  for  a  kyack,  Alexey  shot  three  more,  bjt 
unfortunately  he  only  got  one  out  of  the  lot.  It  cavne 
in  time,  for  we  had  eaten  the  last  half  of  our  la  t  seal, 
and  wanted  one  in  readiness  for\iext  Sunday's  diiincr 

March  2dth,  Monduy.  —  Commenced  to-day  to  bica; 
out  the  forward  store-room  to  clean  out  the  frost  and 
get  ready  for  our  permanent  stowage.  This  is  going  to 
be  a  serious  affair,  for  the  fore  hold  and  fore  peak  nuist 
be  kept  empty  in  case  of  a  sudden  increase  in  the  leak, 
and  yet  we  cannot  k^op  our  spar  deck  filled  wi'h  pro- 
visions as  it  is  now.  Our  efforts  will  be  dirc'-i-  «  also 
to  getting  as  much  weight  aft  as  possible  to  bru;    lier 


rUF.   RETURN  OF   DAYLIGHT. 


303 


now  aft'    H  n?™'"?'-^  ""''''  "?  *oek-a-bIock 

low  aft.     However,  Ch.pp  fa  charged  with  the  mo.o 

than  herculean  ta»k  of  fi„,1i„g  ,oo,„  for  ■' ,nore  "  (when 

result.     We  shall  be  m  a  fearfully  bad  trim  for  sailin.  • 
and  as  for  steaming,  it  i.,  a  thing  almmt  out  of  eonsid 
eration  except  for  a  few  days.     A  glance  at  the  co  1 
account  show.,  that  I  anticipate  havh.g  but  sL-.^tl  "e 
ons  of  coal  on  hand  May  1st.     Keeping  thirty-five  tot,! 
for  use  m  ca.s^  wo  are  caught  here  another  winter,  leaves 
us  but  twenty-eight  tons  for  steaming,  pun.ping,  and 
cookmg  during  the  summer.     The  galley  u.sjs  iTtons 
per  month,  and  for  pumping  we  need    sav    V  uZ 
28  _  5  X  4  =  8  tons  for  steamin.,  -  ^'     '     "' ' 

Msrn,  Tn..da!,.-By  my  observations  to-day 
I  place  the  ship  m  latitude  72°  36'  N.,  longitude  178° 
«-    Vf    seven  miles  N.  of  her  position  on  the  27th  inst 
and  almost  identically  the  same  position  as  occupied  on 
iSoveniber  30th.  ^ 


li 


iiWm' 


i   ; 


i  ' 


i.        '^ 

iii 

I    iB|iif 

ilW 

•-I   f 

*'■ 

I  '■!. 

.  :ii 

■  ■  ii. 

if  . 

■  t 

CHAPTER   VIII. 


,  ii 


:i  ' 


'   ill 


t' 


I-  •  '  1 


UNDER   THE    MIDNIGHT    SUN. 

April—  Mai/,  1880. 

Change  of  Routine.  —  Saving  Fuel.  —  Driving  a  Dog  Team.  —  A 
Now  Resource.  —  Birds.  —  Dampness  and  Cold.  —  Canned  Food.  — 
Completion  of  a  Windmill.  —  Winter  Lingering  in  the  Lap  of 
Spring.  —  Pemmican.  —  Wasting  of  the  Ice-Field.  —  Drift- Wood. 
—  Walrus.  —  Distant  Land.  —  A  Deep  Hole.  —  Sunshine  at  Mid- 
right.  —  Target  Shooting.  —  Pure  Water.  —  Bears  and  Birds.  — 
Gloomy  Weather.  —  Habits  of  the  Dogs.  —  The  Crev/'s  Quarters.  — 
Danenhower's  Condition.  —  The  Ice  as  a  Sledge-Road.  —  Bear 
Hunts.  —  The  Sick  List.  —  Patience  and  Dullness.  —  Discouraging 
Outlook.  —  Sledging.  —  New  Leaks.  —  Looking  for  Release. 

April  1st,  Thursday.  —  This  month  opens  with  a 
very  pleasant  incident.  At  8.15  A.  m.  Ericksen  rushed 
into  the  cabin  announcing,  "  There  is  a  big  bear  right 
under  the  quarter."  Away  rushed  Chipp,  Dunbar, 
Newcomb,  and  the  doctor,  the  three  former  with  ri- 
fles. Alexey  and  Nindemann  were  ah'eady  on  the  ice 
in  pursuit  of  a  fine  large  bear,  all  the  dogs  surround- 
ing it,  yelping  and  barking,  and  driving  poor  Bruin  al- 
most wild  with  the  din.  Shooting  under  these  circum- 
stances was  almost  certain  to  result  in  killing  a  dog,  so 
the  bear  was  enabled  to  get  away  about  a  mile  from  the 
ship.  The  dogs  managed  him  beautifully.  While  about 
twenty  of  them  would  sun  jund  him  out  of  reach  of  his 
paws  and  distract  his  attention,  a  half  dozen  of  them 
would  bite  him,  making  the  hair  fly  by  mouthf  uls.  The 
bear  would  then  throw  them  off,  and,  sitting  on  his 


II 


UNDER  THE  MIDNIGHT  SUN. 


305 


Ihem 
Ixhe 
his 


hauiK'lies,  reach  around  for  them  with  his  fore  paws. 
Tliis  movement  gave  Alexey  and  Dunbar  a  choice 
point  for  firing,  and  Alexey  put  a  bullet  into  him, 
which  dropped  him.  He  got  up  again  and  renewed 
his  fight  with  the  dogs,  until  Dunbar  finished  him  with 
another  bullet.  He  was  a  beautiful  animal,  eight  feet 
in  length,  three  feet  five  inches  in  height,  and  weighed 
six  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds  gross  weight.  His 
stomach  was  perfectly  empty.  He  had  got  within  one 
hundred  yards  of  the  ship,  when  the  dogs  sighted  him 
and  made  him  turn. 

A  change  in  the  routine  is  made  for  the  spring  and 
summer.  When  we  are  moving  again  some  modifica- 
tions will  occur. 

April  2d,  Friday.  —  Daily  routine,  commencing 
April  1st,  1881  :  — 

5.00  A.  M.  Call  ship's  cook  and  cabin  steward. 

5.45  Call  executive  officer. 

7.00  Call  all  hands. 

7.30  Breakfast  by  watches. 

8.30  Turn  to ;  clear  up  decks ;  clear  fire-hole  ; 

get  soundings,  etc. 
9.00  Watch  below  to  go  hunting. 

9.30  Clear  forecastle ;  open  doors  and  scuttle 

for  ventilation  until  11.30  ;  inspection 
by  executive. 
11.00  Hoist  the  recall  flag  at  the  fore. 

12.00  M.       Dinner  by  watches. 
1.00  p.  M.  Turn  to ;  watch  below  to  go  hunting. 
5.00  Hoist  recall  flag  at  the  main. 

5.30  Supper  by  watches. 

6.J0  Turn  to. 

8.00  Boatswain  and  carpenters  report  the  de- 

partments. 

20 


in 


• 


'i 


] 


i    1 


ii'l 


>'l 


:5s  ;■,;'! 


m 


sn:i 


f  : 

;f 


\i 


•I 


}  f 


.1 


If 


;r  : 


4i 


306 


rUE   VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


9.00  P.  M.  Open  forecastle  doors,  and  partly  open 
scuttle  until  morning. 

10.00  Lights  out  in  forecastle ;  noise  and  smok- 

ing to  cease. 

By  this  new  routine  we  still  have  but  two  cooked 
meals  a  day.  The  tea  water  for  supper  is  boiled  on  the 
fire  in  the  stoves  in  the  cabin  and  berth  deck  as  hereto- 
fore since  November  1st.  This  arrano-ement  will  hold 
good  as  long  as  we  keep  the  stoves  going.  But  as  I 
shall  stop  them  as  soon  as  we  can  safely  (not  comforta- 
bly) do  without  them,  in  order  to  save  every  lump  of 
coal,  some  other  way  of  boiling  the  tea  water  has  to  be 
devised.  While  Melville  and  I  were  talking  it  over  to- 
night, we  thought  it  would  be  possible  to  make  a  little 
fire  in  the  observatory  stove  down  in  the  fire-room  each 
evening,  which  would  boil  all  the  tea  water  together. 
But  it  suddenly  Hashed  into  his  mind  that  as  we  should 
be  pumping  by  steam  as  long  as  the  coal  lasted  we  could 
boil  the  tea  water  by  steam  also.  And  with  him  to 
think  being  to  act,  the  whole  thing  is  wi  fait  accompli. 
If  we  can  get  along  with  pumping  by  the  Baxter  en- 
gine alone,  we  may  have  a  little  trouble  in  thus  boiling 
the  water  by  steam,  because  the  steam-room  is  so  shal- 
low that  salt  spray  is  lifted  and  carried  along  with  the 
steam,  and  would  mix  with  our  tea  water.  If  we  are 
using  the  steam-cutter's  boiler  continuously,  there  will 
be  no  difficulty,  for  as  it  has  a  steam-drum  on  top  of  the 
boiler  all  danger  of  lifting  salt  spray  is  eliminated.  How 
we  may  have  to  use  it  and  the  Baxter  together,  or  only 
one  of  them,  will  appear  a  little  later. 

We  took  out  the  port  forward  bilge-pnmp  to-day,  and 
put  it  down  the  fire-room  hatch  into  the  fire-rooni  bilge, 
cutting  a  hole  on  the  after  side  of  the  hatch  coaming  on 
the  starboard  side  for  the  pump  delivery.     When  it  is 


uni)p:k  the  midnight  sun. 


307 


en- 
ins^ 
lial- 
the 
are 
will 
the 
ow 
inly 

and 

on 
It  is 


secured  in  place  we  shall  move  the  Baxter  engine  and 
boiler  down  to  the  fire-room,  and  connect  them  by  gear- 
ing somewhat  similar  to  that  now  in  use  for  the  pump 
brake.  Then  the  Baxter  and  steam-cutter's  boiler  be- 
ing side  by  side,  —  ihe  one  delivering  water  on  the  spar 
deck,  the  other  delivering  water  through  the  side,  —  we 
shall  open  the  forward  floodgates  and  let  all  the  water 
come  aft  into  the  fire-room.  If  the  Baxter  can  pump  all 
the  water,  we  shall  save  the  coal  now  consumed  by  the 
steam-cutter's  boiler  ;  if  the  steam-cutter's  boiler  can  do 
the  work,  we  shall  save  the  coal  now  used  by  tlie  Bax- 
ter. At  all  events,  if  one  alone  cannot  do  it,  we  may 
lio;ht  a  fire  under  the  steam-cutter's  boiler  in  time  to 
get  tea  water  for  supper,  and  pump  with  it  also,  say 
twelve  hours,  using  the  after  bilge-pump  by  haui'  oc- 
casionally, if  necessary,  and  thus  save  the  coal  :iow 
burned  in  twelve  hours  by  this  little  boiler. 

I  mention  these  items  minutely,  to  show  how  care- 
fully we  are  watching  our  coal  pile  and  making  every 
pound  do  its  work.  I. suppose  any  sensible  person  will 
admit  that  the  propriety  of  pumping  by  steam  is  un- 
questionable. Under  ordinary  circumstances  of  a  ves- 
sel at  sea  springing  a  leak,  hand  pumping  for  a  long 
period  to  make  a  port  is  to  be  expected.  But  here  in 
the  Arctic  seas,  where  for  more  than  two  months  we 
have  been  leaking,  and  when  for  perhaps  two  months 
more  we  may  be  fast  in  the  ice,  the  situation  is  quite 
different.  Supposing  that  we  had  resorted  to  hand 
pumping,  very  probably  one  half  of  the  ship's  company 
would  have  been  on  the  sick-list  by  this  time,  or  if  not 
sick  at  least  worn  out ;  and  had  any  accident  crushed 
the  ship  and  forced  us  to  abandon  her,  in  what  condi- 
tion would  the  crew  have  been  to  march  two  hundred 
miles  over  the  ice,  dragging  heavy  siedges,  to  the  near- 
est settlement? 


inl- 


m 


i  !  i :  ■ 


!  ::l 


:     U. 


^i'i 


■  ■  ;  4. 


308 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


Having  completed  the  work  of  cleiining  and  restow- 
ing  the  forward  store-i'oom,  we  set  to  work  to-day  to 
perform  a  similar  service  for  the  after  store-room.  Hav- 
ing only  the  tent  awning  over  the  spar  deck  to  protect 
it,  the  beams  in  the  store-room,  the  pumps,  and  tlie  iron 
knees  made  excellent  condensers  for  all  moisture  formed 
below  in  the  ward-room,  and  passing  into  the  store-room 
through  the  communicating  doorway.  The  forward 
bulkhead  of  Danonhower's  and  Collins'  rooms,  though 
well  felted,  likewise  acted  as  condensers.  Danenhow- 
er's  room  was  thorougidy  scraped  the  other  day  by  his 
careful  nurse,  Johnson ;  but  Collins'  room,  being  de- 
layed, connnenced  to  thaw  on  him  last  night,  wetting 
much  of  his  clothing.  The  after  store-room  was  one 
mass  of  frost  on  the  parts  above  indicated,  the  pumps 
particularly  seeming  enlarged  to  twice  their  ordinary 
size  with  ice. 

The  usual  monthly  medical  examination  was  com- 
menced to-day  by  the  surgeon.  So  carefully  has  this 
examination  been  conducted,  and  so  thoroughly  is  the 
men's  condition  known,  and  so  satisfactory  is  the  state 
of  our  health  (except  in  Danenhower's  case),  that  upon 
the  doctor's  recommendation  I  decide  to  suspend  the 
monthly  examinations  for  the  present,  say  for  three 
months,  unless  some  occurrence  makes  the  resumption 
prudent. 

April  of?,  Saturday.  —  Mr.  Dunbar,  who  seems  to  be 
regaining  his  old  strength  and  endurance  (although  his 
gait  is  more  like  that  of  an  old  man  than  one  of  his 
years),  took  a  long  tramp  with  Alexey  and  Aneguin 
about  seven  miles  S.  E.  from  the  ship.  At  that  point 
he  came  to  some  very  heavy  ice,  seemingly  aground,  as 
it  had  no  motion,  although  with  water  around  it.  The 
extent  of  water  may  have  been  two  hundred  feet  in 


UNDER   THE  MIDNIGHT  SUN. 


309 


be 
his 
his 
uin 

)int 
,as 

iThe 
in 


length  and  fifty  feet  in  width,  narrowing  to  cracks  at 
either  end.  For  several  days  he  and  I  had  observed 
from  aloft  a  long  ridge  of  ice  to  the  southward,  and  had 
made  conjectures  as  to  its  being  stranded  on  a  reef  or 
shoal ;  and  since  he  has  gone  out  there  and  thinks  it 
looks  much  like  it,  he  will  on  Monday  make  one  more 
trip  to  sound.  He  says  tiiat  while  he  stood  on  the  lloe 
edge  looking  at  this  ridge,  everything  being  still,  there 
commenced  a  trembling  of  the  ice  on  wliich  he  stood, 
and  a  commotion  in  the  water  in  front  of  him,  when 
suddenly  a  large  mass  of  ice  as  big  as  the  after  part  of 
this  ship  cut  off  at  the  poop  came  up  with  a  bound,  and 
settled  to  its  line  of  flotation.  Being  in  some  unac- 
countable  manner  liberated  from  the  power  that  held 
it  under  the  floe,  it  made  its  way  naturally  to  the  sur- 
face. 

The  surgeon's  report  is  rendered  to-day.  Of  the 
eight  officers,  the  condition  of  two  is  excellent,  five 
good,  and  one  fair  (considering) ;  of  the  twenty-three 
men,  the  condition  of  seventeen  is  excellent,  six  good  ; 
and  the  condition  of  the  two  natives  is  excellent. 

Danenhower's  case  has  no  marked  improvement. 
With  the  confinement  he  has  under£i;one,  and  the  ccr- 
tain  mental  anxiety  which  he  no  doubt  experiences,  it 
is  wonderful  that  scurvy  has  not  selected  him  as  a  fair 
opportunity.  As  the  temperature  falls  from  6.8°  to 
minus  13.5^  we  are  evidently  not  done  with  winter 
yet. 

The  familiar  grinding  and  groaning  of  ice  in  motion 
was  heard  at  onr  a.  m.  Somehow  or  other,  I  cannot 
help  anticipating  a  considerable  disturbance  at  our  next 
new  moon,  on  the  9th  inst.  Our  sudden  drift  and  re- 
cent high  temperature  indicate  a  loosening  of  the  ice 
somewhere,  and  if  we  go  toward  the  place  we  may  be- 
come mixed  with  it. 


\  \ 


I  ! 


«■! 


if! 


310 


Tin:  vovACK  of  the  .ieanxktte. 


;  -i » 


I  lijul  almost  begun  to  believe  that  I  knew  how  to  and 
could  manage  a  dog  team.  :  ut  I  have  changed  ni} 
mind.  Hitching  np  eleven  dogs  to-day  to  a  heavy 
sled,  Melville  and  I  started  out  on  a  cruise.  We  usually 
have  merelv  to  start  the  team  on  an  old  sledy-e  track 
or  foot  way,  and  then,  with  the  judicious  use  ot  a  long 
lashed  whip,  we  can  ride  on  the  sledge  as  if  it  were 
drawn  by  horses  until  the  track  ends  or  we  wish  to  re- 
turn; but  to-day  we  could  neither  lead  nor  drive.  The 
dogs  would  go  a  few  hiuidred  feet  from  the  ship  and 
then  bolt,  dragging  us  back  to  the  gangway.  If  one 
of  us  took  hold  of  the  leaders,  the  middle  of  the  team 
would  double  back.  Whippuig  on  one  side  would  make 
them  vault  to  the  other,  and  though  we  occasionally 
weathered  the  dogs  by  getting  the  sledge  caught  in  a 
snow  bank,  or  capsizing  it,  when  the  curved  ends  wouhl 
serve  as  an  anchor,  it  would  be  only  long  enough  to 
give  us  a  breathing  spell ;  for  as  we  had  to  get  the 
sled  free  ourselves,  the  dogs  had  it  all  their  own  way, 
and  tore  us  back  to  the  ship.  Finally,  when  almost  ex- 
hausted with  our  contlict,  we  had  to  send  a  man  ahead 
with  the  "  sick "  dog,  who  is  a  chum  of  Jack,  our 
leader,  and  so  contrived  to  keep  his  attention  occupied 
while  we  managed  the  wheelers  and  mid-ship  dogs. 
Even  then  one  of  the  dogs  was  so  averse  to  going  that 
he  would  throw  himself  down,  and  be  literally  dragged 
by  the  neck  and  body  for  a  hundred  yards  or  more  at 
a  time,  refusing  to  get  up  though  beaten  with  the  whip- 
stock  until  1  was  tired.  Thus  we  managed  to  get  a 
mile  away  from  the  ship,  and  then  giving  the  dogs  the 
charge  they  rattled  us  back  gayly. 

April  4:th,  Sunday.  —  At  ten  a.  m.  had  general  mus- 
ter and  read  the  Articles  of  War,  after  which  I  Inspected 
the  ship.    The  condition  of  dampness  on  the  berth  deck 


UNDEll   THE  MIDNIGHT  SUN. 


311 


Th( 


is  fioniewliat  improvod  during  the  past  wook. 
deok-house,  having  been  rolievod  of  nuioli  of  the  load 
of  provisions  stowed  therein,  seems  hke  a  spaeioiis 
apartment  emptied  of  its  furniture.  By  the  end  of 
this  month  tlie  hou.se  will  be  for  this  sea.son,  at  all 
events,  a  thing  of  the  past,  for  I  hojie  the  temj)erature 
will  have  so  far  comfortably  increased  that  we  may  re- 
move it  entirelv.  The  forward  and  after  store-rooms 
having  been  cleaned  and  restowed  are  again  in  good 
order  and  condition,  though  I  fear  the  low  tempera- 
ture we  are  now  experiencing  may  cause  condensation 
again,  and,  later  on,  result  in  thaw  and  wet.  The  ward- 
room and  cabin  are  as  usual  dry  and  comfortable. 

April  i)th,  Monday.  —  And  now  one  would  imagine 
that  we  had  arrived  at  the  end  of  our  resources  for 
saving  coal  without  resorting  to  hand  power.  But  it 
is  not  so.  Some  days  ago,  in  thinking  matters  over,  I 
recollected  having  seen  pumps  run  by  windmills,  and 
upon  consulting  Melville  as  to  the  practicability  of  mak- 
ing the  necessary  machinery  on  board  ship  1  ^v":^?  grati- 
fied, but  (knowing  his  genius  and  unfailing  readiness  to 
adapt  the  means  to  the  end)  not  surprised,  to  have  him 
say,  "  Can  do  it."  He  thought  out  all  the  details,  and 
has  innnediately  commenced  ^vorking  drawings  for  the 
construction  of  the  windmill  bilge-pump.  He  calcu- 
lates that  with  a  wind  of  velocity  equal  to  five  miles  an 
hour,  we  can  have  a  mill  that  will  do  the  work  now 
done  by  tb  altered  main  engine  bilge-pump  run  by 
the  steam-ciurer's  engine.  Of  course  when  we  have  no 
wind  we  m\ist  pump  by  hand  if  we  wish  to  save  coal, 
but  the  number  of  hours  of  calm  in  a  month  has  been 
so  small  that  I  think  we  can  safely  take  the  chances  for 
the  future. 

Sounded  at  noon  in  thirty-three  fathoms,  muddy  bot- 


i(\ 


n.> 


I 


>]' 


:! 


1 1  I 


\' 


312 


THE  VOYACE  r  ""  THE  JE  ANNETTE. 


torn,  a  slight,  easterly  (\n^  being  indieated  by  the  lead 
line.  A  seal  has  found  our  sounding  plaee  a  conven- 
ient breathiny-  hole,  and  eonies  there  so  re<i!:ularlv  that 

O  CD  ft/ 

no  ice  has  been  ahle  to  form  over  the  cetitre  of  it  since 
noon  yesterday,  but  from  the  centre  outward  there  is 
ice  six  inches  in  thickness  in  some  places.  Sunrise  at 
4.24,  sunset  at  7.40.  Observed  to-day  for  position,  de- 
termining it  to  be  in  latitude  72'  oO'  N.,  longitude  178° 
33'  W.,  showing  a  drift  since  the  1st  of  eleven  and  a  half 
miles  to  S.  by  W.  Temperature  begins  at  minus  21", 
falls  to  minus  23.5°  by  live  a.  m.  This  cold  .*!nap  is  very 
imwelcoine,  because  we  have  moved  the  Baxter  from  the 
deck-house,  and  have  long  since  discontinued  the  deck- 
house stove,  and  that  edifice  is  consequently  as  cold  as 
charity.  Looking  forward  to  the  future  Avitli  the  ex- 
perience of  the  past,  1  think  it  is  likely  that  this  cold 
will  continue  until  t'  new  moon  on  the  9th,  after 
which  I  hope  we  shal  9  quite  a  moderate  spell. 

Mr.  Dunbar  in  his  wanderings  to-day  visited  the  ap- 
parently grounded  ice  again,  and  saw  quite  a  lane  of 
open  water,  but  notliing  to  shoot  at.  From  our  topsail 
yard  a  narrow  ribl)on  of  water  can  be  seen  running 
from  S.  W.  around  by  W.  to  N.  E.,  and  averaging  seven 
miles  in  distance  from  us. 

April  Gfh,  Tuesday.  —  For  several  evenings  past,  at 
eleven  r.  m.,  I  have  noticed  a  long,  low  streak  in  the 
N.  W.  that  very  much  resembles  land.  It  cannot  be 
seen  on  our  brightest  days,  because  the  sun  shines 
against  it  and  hidfs  it  in  the  glare  of  the  ice.  But 
when  the  sun  gets  below  the  horizon  and  behind  it,  it 
comes  out  Avith  distinct uess  enough  to  at  least  raise 
the  suspicion  that  it  is  land.  Of  course  it  may  be  a 
stratus  cloud,  but  it  is  somewhat  singular  that  the  same 
shaped  cloud  should  be  in  the  same  place  every  night. 


UNDKIi   THE   AIIDNKiirr   SUX. 


313 


As  the  sun  continiios  to  not  later  and  later  wo  ^hall  ore- 
Ion^  resolve  our  doubts. 

April  7///,  Wedneadfo/.  —  Ilavinjj^  finished  all  our 
connections  with  the  new  pump  rig,  and  all  being  in 
readiness,  the  combination  was  tried  this  afternoon.  It 
worked  to  a  c)>arm.  The  llood-gates  were  opened,  and 
all  the  water  was  allowed  to  come  aft  as  freely  as  it 
pleased.  The  Baxter  then  took  hold  and  ])umped  it 
out.  While  waiting  for  more  to  come  aft,  a  soiu'ce  of 
difhculty  was  discovered  which  forces  us  to  suspend  the 
rig  until  milder  weather.  The  discharge  is  necessarily 
through  a  canvas  hose  leading  from  the  lire-rcx)m  hatch 
across  the  spar  deck  to  a  convenient  scupper,  and  so 
to  a  hole  Avhich  was  dug  in  the  ditch  on  the  star))oard 
side  through  to  the  surface  of  the  water.  This  hole,  of 
course,  had  to  be  covered  iuuuediatelv  with  a  wooden 
box  and  a  snow-house  to  protect  the  water  from  ex- 
posure to  the  open  air  and  its  temperature  of  minus 
20"  iit  times.  But  we  could  not  keep  the  canvas  hose 
and  the  top  of  the  pump  from  exposure  to  the  air,  and 
consequently,  while  the  pump  was  necessarily  '"spelled" 
to  wait  for  water,  ice  formed  in  the  canvas  hose  and 
choked  it  up.  The  flood-gates  were  again  closed,  and 
the  water  accumulated  in  the  fire-room  from  time  to 
time  was  pumped  out  as  before  by  the  steam-cutter's 
engine,  while  the  remaining  bilge-])ump  forward  was 
worked  by  hand  as  required.  This  we  found  to  be 
from  five  to  ten  minutes  every  half  hour.  The  fires 
under  the  Baxter  were  allowed  to  die  out. 

Our  friend  the  seal  comes  still  often  enough  to 
breathe  to  keep  a  hole  open  in  the  centre  of  our  sound- 
ing hole,  and  so  the  ice  is  prevented  from  forming  with 
any  degree  of  regularity. 

The  ice  was  in  motion  inmiediately  after  sunrise,  and 


)  < 


:'m 


l,:( 


314 


THE   VOYAGE   OF    THE  JEANNETTE. 


n. ; 


.  i  >• 


all  along  in  tlic  afternoon  until  six  o'clock.  The  move- 
ment seomcfl  to  be  confined  between  N.  W.  and  N. 
Brilliant  parhelion  22°  in  radius  immediately  after  sun- 
rise, and  two  brilliant  sun  dogs  at  five  and  six  A.  M. 
Although  the  sun  is  below  the  horizon  for  about  eiy-ht 
hours,  we  have  daylight  the  whole  twenty-four  hours. 
That  is  to  say  I  consider  enongh  daylight  existing  at 
midnight  to  navigate  the  ship  were  there  open  water 
to  make  it  possible.  No  regular  order  of  sunrise  and 
sunset  can  be  marked  from  day  to  day,  the  time  of 
these  events  varying  greatly  with  the  refraction.  I  am 
scrupulously  careful  in  my  observations  for  position  to 
apply  to  the  mean  refraction  Chauvenet's  corrections 
for  height  o.C  barometer  and  for  temperature.  At  such 
altitudes  the  corrections  are  not  very  large  ;  b^it  when 
the  sun  approaches  its  setting,  for  instance,  they  are  so 
markedly  important  as  to  make  their  omissions  a  seri- 
ous error. 

April  Sth,  Thursday.  —  Our  pumping  goes  on  now 
in  this  manner:  When  enough  water  gets  aft  into  the 
fire-room  to  be  worth  the  steam,  the  little  cutter's  en- 
gine pumps  it  out.  At  other  times  the  steam-cutter's 
boiler  distills  water.  Every  time  the  bell  strikes,  the 
man  on  watch  works  the  forward  spar  deck  bilge-pump 
until  it  draws  air,  which  it  generally  does  in  from  five 
to  ten  minutes.  Our  windmill  pump  rig  gets  on  apace, 
Melville  beino;  en<j!:a(»;ed  in  inakin";  necessarv  for";inf>;s, 
and  the  carpenters  working  at  such  wood-work  as  is 
required. 

April  9th,  Friday.  —  Our  new  moon  has  come,  with- 
out any  of  the  disturbance  I  anticipated ;  not  even  a 
iar  occurred  to  note  its  arrival.  The  first  bird  of  the 
year  arrived  to-day.  A  raven,  flying  from  the  south- 
ward, lighted  on  the  ice  near  the  ship  long  enough  to 


T 


H:1 


UNDEit    TFIE   MIDXIGHT   SUN. 


315 


ii 


be  plainly  visible,  and  then  flew  to  and  disappeared 
among  the  rough  ice  about  one  hundred  yards  from 
us.  Mr.  Newcond:)  started  after  him  to  add  him  to  the 
collection,  but  failed  to  find  him. 

Anril  14th,  Wednesday.  —  To-day  our  stewr.rd  weii<^ 
to  work  clearing  out  the  ice  from  the  tiller-room.     This 
is  a  new  name  in  my  record,  and  requires  explanation. 
Last  fall  I  had  the  doors  opening  from  the  cabin  into 
the  chart-room  unhung,  and  mounted  between  the  pro- 
peller well  and  chart-room  bulkheads,  completely  shut- 
ting off  the    after  part   of   the    cabin  containing    the 
rudder  head  aiid  tiller.     This  shut-out  space  has  acted 
as  a  perfect  condensing  chamber  for  the  cabin,  keep- 
ing our  mess-room  dry  during  the  lowest  temperature 
of    the  winter.      I    am    stating  nothing   new   when    I 
say  that    all    moisture  will  fly  to  a  cold    surface    and 
condense.      Shutting  off    the    after  part  of  the  cabin 
has  made  a    cold  room   into  which   the   moisture   has 
penetrated,  through    cracks    and  the  key-holes  when 
the  doors  have  been   closed,   and  in  volumes  through 
the    doorways    when    the    doors    have    been    opened, 
and  ice  hits  formed  there  from  the  condensation.     Now 
that  milder  weather  is  coming,  this  must  be  removed, 
or  else  melting,  it  will   run  in  streams.     Of  course  the 
condensing   chandjer   has  not   benefited    Chipp's  room 
or   mine,    for   our    air    port-;,   forward    bulkhead,    and 
the    bulwark    being  exposed    outside  to  the   temperii- 
ture  of  the  air  have  supplied  the  cold  surfaces  nearer 
at  hand  for  the  condev  -.tion.     The  chart-rooms  have 
had   some    ice,    but   not    much,  form  on  the  bulwark 
and   book-shelves  against  the  side,  and  of  course  the 
air  ports  have   been  one  mass  of  frost.     I  am  firmly 
convinced  that  had  our  deck-house  extended  forward 
to  entirely  co^'er  the  berth  deck,  the  berth  deck  would 


'i 

iff 


, 

i-t 

"p 

i 
■  i 

316 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


Ti 


have  been  dry ;  and  if  we  had  not  been  obhged  to  use 
our  Baxter  boiler  for  distilHng,  and  afterwards  for 
pumping,  so  largely  increasing  the  moisture  which  was 
carried  to  the  berth  deck  as  to  use  up  all  the  cold  space 
presented  by  the  sheet-iron  ventilating  cover,  and  air 
port  frames,  and  demand  more,  the  deck  would  have 
been  drier  than  we  have  found  it.  As  a  rule  for  my 
future  guidance  I  will  say.  Provide  the  coldest  sur- 
faces in  the  desired  places,  and  then  the  dampness  and 
condensation  will  be  luider  control.  This  cold-surface 
method  annoys  me  in  one  way,  namely,  by  fogging  up 
the  glasses  of  the  roof  of  the  artificial  horizon.  I  have 
generally  placed  the  horizon  on  the  small  table  on  the 
floe,  but  the  table,  having  been  moved  the  other  day 
for  some  purpose  or  other,  has  not  been  refastened 
thoroughly  enough  to  keep  the  mercury  still  in  any 
wind.  I  therefore  place  the  horizon  trough  in  the  thin 
snow  on  the  floe,  and  grind  down  the  roof  into  the 
snow  to  keep  out  all  wind.  In  a  few  moments  the  heat 
of  the  sun  through  the  glass  next  to  it  raises  the  tem- 
perature within ;  moisture  arises  from  the  warming 
snow,  and  immediately  flies  to  the  cold  surface,  first 
to  the  glass  in  the  roof  away  from  the  sun,  and  there 
deposits,  becoming  a  film  of  ice  as  soon  as  the  roof  is 
lifted  from  the  snow. 

By  an  accident  or  carelessness  our  water  supply  for 
the  day  was  spoiled  this  morning  by  Boyd,  the  fireman 
on  watch.  Our  steam-cutter  boiler  is  fed  from  the  sea 
always,  but  on  this  occasion  the  feed  was  taken  from 
the  bilge.  The  result  was  that  the  distilled  water  was 
so  bad  in  taste  as  to  bt  nauseating.  The  water-barrel 
will  need  several  scourings  and  cleanings  before  it  loses 
the  bad  taste,  and  for  a  day  or  so  we  must  fall  back 
upon  snow-water. 


UNDER  THE  MIDNIGHT  SUN. 


317 


Having  a  large  stock  of  bear  meat  on  hand,  1  ap- 
proved Chipp's  suggestion  to  make  some  of  it  up  into 
sausage-balls,  mincing  pork  with  it  and  adding  pow- 
dered herbs.  Our  St.  Michael's  salmon  were  finished 
yesterday,  and  I  fear  we  shall  find  ic  hard  to  supply 
their  place.  Canned  fish  cannot  be  said  to  be  a  nour- 
ishing or  agreeable  kind  of  food.  An  exception  may 
possibly  be  made  in  favor  of  canned  salmon,  but  that 
alone.  We  have  a  barrel  of  codfish  which  Captain  Jes- 
person,  of  the  Fanny  A.  Hyde,  caught  while  becalmed 
off  St.  Lawrence  Island,  and  which  he  salted  down  ; 
and  as  the  fish  is  solid  it  will  be  a  more  acceptable 
food  than  the  rags  and  small  pieces  which  all  canned 
fish  (except  salmon)  seem  to  be. 

The  work  of  restowing  the  small  holds  being  com- 
pleted, our  quarter  deck  is  now  quite  clear.  What  a 
comfort  it  is  to  see  the  deck  again  after  so  many  montlis 
can  hardly  be  appreciated  by  one  who  has  not  been 
circumstanced  like  ourselves. 

Aiiril  15th,  Thursday.  —  This  morning  upon  getting 
up  I  was  informed  that  a  suspicion  of  land  to  N.  N.  W. 
was  occasioned  by  the  peculiar  appearance  of  some 
clouds  in  that  direction.  Upon  going  on  deck  I  saw 
what  all  seafaring  people  would  call  clouds  hanging 
over  the  land,  but  though  we  peered  anxiously  and 
hopefully  with  glasses  we  could  see  nothing  of  the  sup- 
posed land  underneath.  A  strong  corroboration  of  the 
suspicion  occurred  in  the  sight  of  two  snow-buntings, 
which  flew  towards  the  ship  from  the  southward,  and 
after  a  moment's  rest  on  the  ice  flew  toward  this  sus- 
pected discovery.  They  might  have  remained  near  the 
ship,  but  as  soon  as  they  alighted  on  the  ice  under  our 
flying  jib-boom  the  lean  dog  Wolf,  always  ready  for  a 
mouthful,  rushed  for  them  and  drove  them  away. 


lii'^ 


I  u 


1:. 


I!  I 


it 


'i.  : 


Mi: 


I  !i!'l 


318 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


'  I,  iJ 


■    •;  ''■  - 


t   I 


Once  more  are  my  eyes  oladdened  by  seeing  the  yel- 
low top  of  the  poop.  We  went  to  work  to-day  and 
removed  the  thick  coat  of  snow  which  has  made  it  seem 
all  winter  like  the  effect  of  an  avalanche,  and  the 
change  is  more  than  pleasing.  The  large  amount  of 
dirt,  ashes,  empty  cans,  etc.,  which  was  alongside  the 
ship  to  port,  was  also  removed  to-day,  a  faint,  disagree- 
able odor  arising  from  it,  warning  me  how  objection- 
able it  might  become  a  month  from  now.  We  are 
slowly  but  surely  cleaning  up,  and  becoming  more  like 
a  ship  than  a  frozen  habitation. 

Our  bear  sausage-balls  were  tried  at  breakfast  to-day 
and  pronounced  good,  though  hardly  seasoned  enough. 
That  is  a  fault  easily  remedied,  however. 

Sounded  at  noon  in  thirty-three  fathoms,  a  drift  to 
the  N.  W.  being  indicated  by  the,  lead  line.  The  seal 
kept  a  breathing  hole  open,  but  three  and  a  half  inches 
of  ice  formed  outside  of  it. 

April  l^th,  Friday.  —  We  find  that  removing  the 
snow  from  the  poop,  thus  uncovering  the  yellow-painted 
canvas,  presents  a  surface  which  attracts  and  absorbs 
the  heat  of  the  sun's  rays,  and  by  rjidiation  upward 
affects  the  readings  of  our  thermometers.  Accord- 
ingly (though  the  uncertainty  of  the  ice  makes  their 
situation  risky)  the  box  containing  them  is  removed  to 
the  floe,  and  secured  against  two  upright  stakes  driven 
in  the  ice.  The  black  bulb  in  vacuo  is  also  removed, 
and  the  anemometer  will  follow.  I  shall  hope  now  that 
no  sudden  smash-up  of  the  ice  will  involve  a  loss.  1 
concluded  to-day  to  move  out  the  secretary  bureau  in 
my  room,  and  clear  out  the  accumulation  of  ice  from 
behind  it.  The  drawers  had  long  since  become  so 
swollen  from  the  dampness  as  not  to  stir ;  and  though  I 
had  the  carpenter  plane  them  down  considerably,  they 


I 


,,i    ''■ 


tht 


■ 


n  re 


.i 


I. 


r  I 


so 


■* 


1  .i ' 


M  '\' 


MMIP 

JFrcm  tAx  /tttutt  autAcritiet 


I  ; 


>r».n  <rJtri'>»i»».i«<^Bf^ti.«ia" 


I'll 


!    I    ' 


il^r 


UXDEH   THE   MIDNKJHT   SUN. 


319 


,\ 


pleased  to  swell  up  again  so  luiich  and  .so  quickly  that 
I  yielded  the  point  and  did  not  use  my  bureau  again. 
After  a  hard  fight  to-day  1  got  the  bureau  to  move.  So 
much  ice  had  formed  between  its  end  and  the  forward 
bulkhead  and  its  back  and  the  bulwark  that  it  was 
frozen  as  one  solid  mass.  I  do  not  think  [  exaggerate 
a  bit  when  I  say  that  over  sixty  pounds  of  ice  were  re- 
moved. T  took  out  one  slab  whicli  weighed  about 
twenty-five  pounds;  and  there  were  in  addition  two 
buckets  full  of  small  lumps  and  scraps  ])icked  up  with 
a  shovel.  The  paint  work  ot"  my  room,  wliich  had  be- 
come a  fine  specimen  of"  black  color,  was  cleaned  par- 
tially by  the  steward,  and  the  ( jntrast  of  clean  white 
to  beautifully  dirty  black  is  so  glaring  as  to  be  almost 
painful  to  my  eyes.  The  frost  in  the  lower  drawer  of 
my  bureau  had  taken  full  charge,  making  it  necessary 
for  me  to  Avork  with  a  hannner  and  break  the  ice  be- 
fore I  could  get  a  pair  of  pantaloons  out.  However,  I 
have  suffered  no  inconvenience  during  the  winter,  and 
by  a  little  work  now  I  have  anticipated  a  thaw. 

The  walrus  meat  and  the  sucking  mother  bear,  con- 
denmed  for  dog  food,  were  some  time  since  removed  to 
the  floe  from  the  house-top,  and  piled  up  alougside  of 
a  whole  walrus  now  lying  there.  This  food  is  con- 
stantly watched  by  the  dogs,  who  change  parties  but 
never  reUx  in  vigilance,  lest  by  some  mishap  the  dead 
animals  might  get  up  and  walk  away.  It  took  them 
some  little  time  to  get  accustomed  to  the  order  forbid- 
ding them  to  come  on  board  ship  at  all,  since  mild 
weather  has  set  in,  and  we  have  cleaned  up  our  quarter- 
deck ;  and  they  would  line  the  gang-plank  regularly 
every  evening,  like  chickens  waiting  to  go  to  roost. 
Since  they  have  been  feeding  on  walrus  and  bear  meat 
they  have  grown  as  fat  as  dimiplings,  and  as  lazy  as 


I 


iii|; 


!^!l 


iilM 


a^o 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


hiiinan  beings  in  the  tropics,  and  they  are  so  averse  to 
work  that  a  sight  of  harness  will  make  the  whole  pack 
skulk  ol'f. 

Though  the  highest  temperature  to-day  was  only 
phis  12°,  the  black  bidb  in  vacuo  gave  its  highest  read- 
ing at  108°.  (If  the  ice  in  which  we  are  so  firmly  held 
were  only  black,  how  quickly  would  it  melt  in  a  vacu- 
um !)  The  black  bulb  in  the  sunlight  and  air  gave  plus 
30°  as  its  maximum  reading. 

Ajyril  17th,  Saturday.  — We  commenced  the  day  by 
removing  three  thermometers  from  the  box  on  the  floe, 
and  substituting  three  others;  in  case  of  any  accident 
I  do  not  want  to  lose  those  which  we  have  read  and 
recorded  all  winter.  Our  standard,  4.313,  is  left  in  the 
box  for  continuous  record.  During  the  day  the  ane- 
mometer was  also  removed  to  the  ice,  so  that  we  have 
only  the  barometers  left  on  board. 

The  windmill  being  completed  was  mounted  to-day 
on  the  ice,  without  sails,  and  rattled  away  in  fine  style. 
We  shall  leave  it  running  over  Sunday  to  let  all  bear- 
ing parts  wear  smooth,  and  Monday  place  it  in  position 
on  board  ship.  It  will  be  tried  first  with  the  shifted 
bilge-pump  in  the  corner  of  the  fire-room  hatch,  for  if 
it  will  work  that,  there  is  saved  the  necessity  of  mak- 
ing a  new  pump  rig  of  boiler  tubes. 

We  took  down  to-day  the  forecastle  tent  awning, 
letting  a  flood  of  daylight  down  on  the  berth  deck, 
where  it  has  been  so  much  needed.  And  to  make  room 
for  the  windmill,  the  big  skin  boat  baidera  was  re- 
moved from  the  bridge,  where  it  has  been  all  winter, 
and  placed  on  barrels  on  the  floe.  Slowly,  piece  by 
piece,  we  shall  remove  our  winter  disflgurements,  and 
gain  gradually  a  ship-shape  .appearance. 

A  very  curious  occurrence  was  noticed  by  ine  this 


u 


UNDER  THE   MIDNIGHT   SUN. 


321 


■ 


afternoon  while  taking  wights.  The  lutificiiil  horizon 
was  phiced  on  tlie  ice  as  usual,  with  the  wind  carefully 
excluded  by  pressing  the  roof  well  into  the  surround- 
ing snow.  Tile  surface  of  the  mercury  was  smooth, 
and  the  rellected  image  of  the  sun  perfectly  sharp  on 
its  edge  ;  but  there  was  a  rising  and  falling  of  the  image, 
gentle,  of  course  (else  the  edge  would  have  become 
blurred),  but  so  decided  that  I  had  great  dilliculty  in 
making  perfect  contact.  It  was  as  if  the  horizon  tiough 
were  in  so  nearly  an  exact  equilibrium  on  a  knife  edge 
that  a  breath  produced  and  continued  the  motion. 
Could  it  possibly  have  been  a  swell  ?  I  have  thought 
much  over  this  occurrence,  but  cannot'  account  for  it. 
If  the  whole  ice-field  had  been  swayed  up  and  down 
see-saw,  I  ought  to  have  swayed  with  it,  and  the  motion 
of  the  mercury  would  not  have  been  noticeable ;  but 
as  it  was  noticeable,  could  there  have  been  a  break  be- 
tween me  and  the  artificial  horizon,  and  my  piece  have 
remained  fixed  while  the  other  one  rose  and  fell  ? 

Considering  that  we  are  all  (excepting  Danenhower) 
in  such  perfect  health ;  that  our  scale  of  food  contains 
so  much  fresh  bread  and  canned  vegetables,  with  milk, 
butter,  and  other  anti-scorbutics ;  that  we  have  so  many 
fresh  potatoes,  sixty  pounds  each  week ;  and  that  one  of 
our  three  barrels  of  lime  juice  is  now  consumed  (since 
December  6th,  much  sooner  than  1  anticipated),  I  have 
decided,  upon  consultation  with  the  surgeon,  to  reduce 
our  consumption  to  an  issue  of  the  regular  ounce  on 
Tuesdays,  Thursdays,  and  Saturdays.  I  think  it  would 
be  difficult  to  mention  a  more  healthy  crew  in  Arctic 
experience  than  we  are,  after  our  winter  of  damp,  cold, 
anxiety,  and  danger.  Before  long  these  things  will  be 
of  the  past,  and  we  shall  forget  them  in  our  expecta- 
tions of  the  future. 

21 


!,' 


(  ••  ;  : 


1^ 


I 


Itll 


Su 


I 
I 

t 

t 


■ 


i 
t 

5 


322 


rilK    VOYAOK   OF   'INK  .IKANNiyPTE. 


At  two  A.  M.  Hounds  wtTo  luMinl  from  tlio  S.  E.  and 
E.,  wlicre  tlio  ioo  wjih  in  motion. 

Apr'tl  18/A,  Sinidct//.  —  Anotlu'r  week  ^ono,  and  !)ut 
a  few  miles  nearer  the  pole  than  we  were-  last  Sunday. 
The  winter  is  "  lingering  in  the  lap  ol'  spring  "  with  a 
vengeance.  If  the  spring  lingers  in  the  lap  of  sununer 
in  like  manner,  our  progress  in  any  direction  is  very 
prohlematical.  One  needs  nn  inexhaustihle  fund  of  pa- 
tience under  these  circumstances,  and  an  amount  of 
hopeful  anticipation  i.ot  called  for  in  lower  hititudes. 
Each  night  when  1  write  up  my  journal,  I  am  strongly 
impressed  with  the  fact  that  I  have  made  n,»  valuahle 
addition  to  it,  and  yet  each  night  I  hope  for  something 
better  on  the  morrow.  Much  as  I  have  written  here, 
it  conveys  no  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  thinking,  which 
cannot  he  recorded  properly.  No  plans  can  he  defi- 
nitely formed  in  our  situation.  Much  depends  on  what 
is  presented  to  us  from  lay  t  )  day  as  the  ice  breaks  up 
(if  it  ever  does),  the  condiiion  of  the  leak  at  the  time, 
and  our  ability  to  handle  the  ship  under  canvas  with 
her  necessarilv  bad  trim.  When  the  time  comes  action 
will  bo  taken,  based  generally  on  the  feeling  that  a  light 
should  never  be  given  up  while  there  is  a  chance  of  the 
slightest  success. 

At  ten  A.  M.  I  inspected  the  ship,  finding  everything 
assuming  tidy  and  ship-shape  appearances,  and  being 
impressed  with  tlio  fact  that  if  anything  more  were  put 
in  the  livo-ro  u  tuc  engineer's  force  would  have  to 
move  "  V.     Then  divine   service  was  performed. 

Our  Si  V  dinner  is  ,  .ways  something  looked  forward 
to  with  II,  isur'  All  winter  we  have  had  roast  seal  or 
roast  bear  wit.i  cranberry  sauce,  macaroni,  potatoes, 
pickles,  bread,  a  soup,  cf  course.  uiT,  coffee,  and  choco- 
late, and  always  a  glass  of  ale,  or  porter,  or  sherry,  as 


I  1 


UNDKll   TIIK  MlDNKillT   SUN. 


823 


111110; 


I 


the  case  iiiij^lit  be.  1  do  not  think  our  l>ill  of  fare  could 
l)e  much  improved. 

As  will  appeal'  from  my  hills  of  fare  mentioned  herein 
l)efore,  one  day  in  the  week,  Saturday,  1ms  been  allotted 
u  certain  amount  of  pemmican.  Our  American  pem- 
mican  had  been  exclusively  used  to  within  a  week,  and 
it  occurred  to  me  to  o-ive  the  Knjjrlish  pemmican,  carried 
in  the  Alert,  and  purchased  by  Mr.  IJennett  from  the 
admiralty,  a  trial ;  accordingly,  an  i.ssne  was  made  of  it. 
I  confess  we  did  not  like  it  in  its  simple  form  as  well  as 
that  of  American  manufacture.  It  was  dull  and  taste- 
less. The  pemmican  was  of  the  sweetened  kind,  much 
preferred  by  the  English  to  the  nnsweeteued,  as  I  was 
informed  by  Captain  Markham.  It  being  suggested 
that  it  would  make  a  delicious  soup,  our  Chinese  stew- 
ard was  commanded  to  prepare  some  and  also  to  make 
a  stew.  But  as  he  decided  in  his  own  mind  that  he 
knew  a  trick  worth  two  of  ours,  he  mixed  so  many 
things  with  the  compounds  —  for  instance,  bacon  with 
the  soup,  and  corned  beef  with  the  stew —  that  we  were 
bewildered  as  to  what  particular  tast.  predomin.ited, 
and  the  experiment  had  no  value.  I  must  admit  that 
the  steward  made  very  savory  and  acceptable  food  in 
both  cases,  but  our  purpose  was  defeated  for  the  pres- 
ent. Between  the  two  kinds  eaten  out  of  the  hand,  as 
might  frequently  be  the  case  while  sledging,  we  give 
the  preference  to  American  pemmican.  Besides  having 
more  raisins  to  increase  the  saliva,  the  meat  and  fat  go 
down  together,  while  in  the  English  article  the  chewing 
is  drier,  and  the  fat  seems  to  .--'eparate  from  the  meat 
and  cling  to  the  roof  of  the  mouth.  As  a  soup  and  as 
a  stew,  I  shall  express  an  opinion  after  a  trial. 

The  wasting  action  of  the  ice-field  on  the  surface,  as 
remarked    by   me    heretofore,    still    continues.      From 


(S 


(A: 


■.,(f 


i 

i 

i . 

I 


324 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


aloft  the  view  is  far  less  discouraging  than  it  was  a 
month  ago.  Then  the  ice-field  was  all  broken  up  by 
confused  masses  and  heaps  of  shattered  floes,  the  result 
of  the  winter's  conflicts.  Under  such  circumstances  1 
fear  five  miles  a  day  would  have  been  an  impossibility 
with  loaded  sledges.  Now  these  masses  are  greatly  re- 
duced, and  though  rough  and  hummocky  they  are  not 
impossible  to  pass ;  I  think  a  mile  an  hour  might  be 
made  without  great  difficulty.  Then  if  we  had  been 
forced  to  abandon  our  ship  by  her  being  destroyed  we 
could  have  reached  the  Siberian  settlements  only  by  a 
miracle  ;  now,  if  our  ship  by  some  accident  is  taken 
from  us,  our  chances  of  reaching  Siberia,  or  open  water, 
are  greatly  in  our  favor.  By  excellent  observations  I 
establish  our  position  to-day  in  latitude  72°  45'  46"  N., 
and  longitude  178°  16'  W.,  and  a  magnetic  variation 
22°  15'  E. 

April  19th,  Monday.  —  In  progressing  with  the  work 
of  cleaning  ship  the  stiuhoard  chart-room  had  its  turn 
to-day.  The  accumulation  of  ice  was  considerable  l)ack 
of  tlie  drawers,  where  the  moisture  from  the  cabin  had 
condensed,  but  not  so  great  as  in  my  room  and  in  the 
tiller-room.  To  try  to  force  the  backward  spring  I  al- 
tered the  arrangement  of  things  in  my  room,  closing 
the  door  leading  into  the  chart-room,  and  opening  the 
door  communicating  with  the  cabin,  and  thence  by  the 
starboard  door  to  the  deck.  I  am  somewhat  premature, 
I  find,  for  my  room  is  too  cold  for  comfort,  whereas 
daring  the  winter  T  was  at  least  moderately  comfort- 
able.  Having  had  the  box  coi^taining  i.iie  transit  in- 
strument under  my  mattress  ever  since  leaving  San 
Francisco,  I  concluded  to  place  it  under  my  berth  in- 
stead, thereby  gaining  a  more  comfortable  rest  in  a  less 
elevated  position. 


UNDER  THE  MIDNIGHT   SUN. 


325 


1   111- 


I  do  not  know  that  I  have  hiid  particular  stress  hith- 
erto on  the  excellent  salt  beef  which  we  have.  It  is 
served  out  on  Monday  regularly  forward  and  aft  for 
dinner,  in  addition  to  the  regular  diet.  It  is  beyond 
exception  the  finest  salt  beef  I  have  ever  eaten.  Our 
process  of  packing  it  in  snow  and  soaking  it  in  sea  wa- 
ter softens  it  while  it  entirely  removes  its  saltness,  and 
it  is  thoroughly  enjoyed.  To-day  our  steward  surprised 
us  with  a  delicious  potato  salad  with  canned  chicken, — 
a  novelty,  I  undertake  to  say,  never  enjoyed  before  in 
the  Arctic  regions  after  a  winter's  experience.  We 
have  other  good  things  in  the  shape  of  ale  and  porter 
in  barrels.  Were  I  undertaking  another  cruise  of  this 
character  I  would  take  three  times  as  much  as  we 
brought,  at  least,  and  as  much  more  as  the  vessel  could 
stow.  It  is  beyond  all  estimable  value  for  cruises  of 
this  kind.  Hoff's  bottled  malt  extract  is  no  doubt  very 
good  in  its  effect,  but  from  its  peculiarly  bitter-sweet 
taste  it  seems  more  like  a  medicine  than  a  beverage. 
We  have  had  a  glass  of  ale,  or  a  glass  of  porter,  or  a 
bottle  of  this  extract  for  dinner  aft  on  Wednesdays 
and  Sundays,  and  forward  it  has  lieen  served  out 
sometimes  once  a  week  and  sometimes  once  a  fort- 
night. We  made  an  unpleasant  discovery  to-day  in  the 
shape  of  fresh  dampness  on  the  berth  deck.  I  think 
that  ice  has  formed  l)etween  the  frames  outside  of  the 
bertlis,  by  the  condensation  of  moisture  from  the  men 
in  sleeping.  At  all  events  a  drip  takes  place  into  the 
lockers  under  the  berths,  which  makes  it  iiupossihle  to 
keep  clothing  there.  At  the  first  of  the  leak  caused 
by  injury  to  the  ship,  the  water  being  choked  oft'  in 
the  fore  peak  rose  between  the  frame.^  and  flowed  over 
on  the  berth  deck,  keeping  it  wet,  and  now  a  similar 
result  is  threatened.     We  shall  avoid  it,  however,  l)y 


^  ■  H 


\' 


i 


326 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


Wi 


bolting  long  strips  of  battens  lengthwise  to  the  deck 
in-l)oard  of  the  lockers  and  caulking  them,  and  by  bor- 
ing holes  in  the  deck  to  let  the  water  descend  into  the 
fore  peak  and  Hour-room. 

Iversen,  while  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  ship, 
found  and  brought  in  the  following-  articles:  seven 
small  pieces  of  wood,  one  bunch  of  veget{»b]<^  matter, 
one  piece  of  birch-bark,  and  one  small  leaf.  These 
were,  of  course,  originally  from  the  land,  probably  Si- 
beria, but  w'hen,  how,  or  under  what  circm?istances 
they  left  the  land  must  remain  a  mystery  ;  although 
we  know  that  ])eing  fomid  so  close  to  the  ship  they  are 
not  of  this  year's  arrival.  Nothing  more  has  been  seen 
of  the  supposed  laud  of  the  15tli  inst.,  so  I  cannot 
connect  these  fragments  with  it.  At  midnight  heavy 
water-sky  from  E.  S.  E.  to  S.  W. 

The  windmill  was  mounted  in  place  over  the  star- 
board side  of  the  bridtj::e  and  secured.  Two  of  the  leu;s 
of  the  supporting  ti'ipod  rest  on  the  bridge,  and  the 
third  on  the  water  tank.  A  hole  is  bored  down  through 
the  bridge  for  the  connectim?  rod  which  the  machinist 
is  fitting,  while  Sweetman  is  at  work  with  a  new  pump 
brake  rig,  to  connect  it  with  the  bilge-pump,  in  the 
after  corner  of  the  fire-room  hatch. 

Apri/  2{)th,  TiicMlcuf.  —  One  of  the  two  walruses 
killed  some  time  ago  was  left  out  on  the  ice  close  to 
the  ship  until  the  want  of  dog  food  necessitated  its 
being  cut  up.  At  the  time  of  its  capture  Alexey  re- 
marked that  "  it  had  young  one  inside  ;  "  and  Mr. 
Newcomb's  zeal  to  possess  it  as  a  specimen  almost 
tempted  me  to  ha\e  the  necessary  post-mortem  ex- 
amination made  on  the  spot.  As,  however,  it  would 
have  been  ditlicidt  to  keep  the  meat  from  the  doga 
(while  left  as  it  was  its  soon  frozen  liide  made  a  per- 


•  «  i 


■H  \. 


;-.*sj5Jianaafflsaa 


UNDER  THE  MIDNKJIIT   SUN. 


32: 


■  I        M 


legs 


ump 
the 


feet  armor,  against  which  even  clogs'  teeth  could  not 
prevail),  1  concluded  to  wait.  To-day,  however,  it  was 
cut  up,  and  to  our  astonishment,  instead  of  a  foetus,  we 
found  part  of  a  young  seal  (oogook)  in  its  stomach  ; 
known  to  be  young  because  having  its  first  coat  of 
hair.  It  is  well  known  that  the  walrus  eats  shell-fish, 
clams,  etc.,  which  it  digs  up  with  its  tusks,  but  this 
fact  proves  the  carnivorousness  of  this  mammal. 

Mr.  Dunbar  and  Alexey  while  away  on  a  tramp  to- 
day shot  and  apparently  killed  a  walrus,  but  he  es- 
caped them  by  sinking.  The  place  recommended  to 
fire  at  is  under  the  throat  upward,  that  the  ball  may 
reach  the  brain.  Such  a  tremendous  bone  is  over  the 
brain  that  a  bullet  will  flatten  on  it.  Mr.  Dunbar's 
shot  struck  him  in  the  neck,  and  the  wound  appeared 
to  craze  him,  for  he  tore  along  breaking  through  young 
ice,  bleeding  heavily,  without  attempting  to  c^ciipe  ))y 
diving.  Alexey  then  fired  nnd  hit  him  in  the  head, 
whereupon  the  carcass  straightened  out  and  sank. 

Everything  being  in  place,  the  windmill  was  attached 
to  the  shifted  bilge-pump  to-day  and  set  to  work.  The 
wind  was  hardly  strong  enough  to  enable  it  to  work 
this  large  pump,  the  mill  occasionally  hanging  fire  on 
the  centre.  As  it  was  originally  intended  for  a  i)ump 
of  boiler  tubes  three  inches  in  diameter,  making  it  work 
a  pump  six  inches  in  diameter  was  hardly  a  fair  trial. 
"We  were  calling  upon  the  pump  for  four  times  as  mucii 
work  as  it  was  designed  to  perform.  However,  with 
sliu'ht  chantjre.  we  believe  we  can  make  it  work  this 
pump,  and  so  save  the  time  and  labor  necessary  to 
make  a  throe-inch  pump.  The  change  suggested  by 
Chipp  is  to  remove  the  canvas  sails  and  substitute  tin 
ones,  which  being  but  little  heavier  will  stand  flatter 
and  offer  more  resistance ;  and  this  is  put  in  train,  the 


;   I' 


\A 


!  • 


if  I 


l> 


1 

■ni 

■1  '  ;  ; 

,1 , . 

h 

!   ■ 

't|    ! 


U   ii' 


li  1  M 


t 


328 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


dozen  of  empty  tin  boxes  on  the  floe  being  used  as  a 
stoclt. 

April  2l6t,  Wednesday.  —  Upon  examination  this 
morning  we  found  that  the  ditch  around  the  stern  was 
completely  flooded,,  the  lower  layer  of  ice  having  evi- 
dently been  broken  by  the  upward  pressure  of  the  wa- 
ter beneath.  No  serious  difficulty  is  anticipated  from 
this,  however,  because  the  comparatively  reasonable 
temperature  which  we  are  now  experiencing  will  not 
cause  very  heavy  ice  to  form,  which  would  hold  the 
ship  down.  Wo  are  still  hoping  and  praying  for  a  re- 
lease. We  have  seen  so  much  water- sk}^  around  us 
that  we  have  grown  impatient  at  our  imprisonment, 
and  anxious  to  move  on  in  some  direction  or  other  for 
a  change.  A  raven  {Corvus  carnivonts)  came  tVom  the 
southward  to-day  and  stopped  near  the  ship.  But  of 
course  the  dogs  ran  for  it,  and  it  flew  away,  proceed- 
ing to  N.  W.  A  very  faint  suspicion  of  land  again,  this 
time  in  N. 

April  22d,  Thursday.  —  Another  bird  paid  us  a  visit 
to-diiy,  this  time  a  small,  dull-colored  land  bird,  which 
came  from  the  S.  E.,  and  being  driven  off  by  the  dogs 
flew  to  the  west  in  an  undulatory  flight  of  quick,  short, 
intermittent  strokes  of  the  wings. 

Snuffy,  our  dog  with  the  broken  nose,  has  a  most  won- 
derful power  to  hold  on  to  life.  Although  I  know  that 
he  will  never  be  of  use  again,  I  hardlv  like  to  have  him 
shot,  preferring  to  give  him  ull  oi  his  life  that  lie  can 
hang  on  to.  Occasionally  he  seems  going,  as,  for  in- 
stance, to-day,  when  he  was  lying  on  an  old  mattress 
on  the  rubbish  heap,  seemingly  at  his  last  gasp.  Being 
occupied  with  taking  sights,  I  postponed  his  shooting 
until  the  afternoon,  when,  going  out  to  see  that  he  had 
not  died  in  the  mean  while,  I  found  him  gone  one  hun- 


' 


UNDER  THE  MIDNIGHT  SUN. 


329 


dred  yards  or  so,  and  as  frisky  and  far  from  death  as 
ever.  No  doubt  this  is  a  small  thing  to  set  forth  at  such 
length,  but  when  all  days  are  alike,  and  but  little  occurs 
to  break  the  monotony,  even  an  occurrence  like  the 
foregoing  seems  an  unusual  item. 

At  nine  p.  m.  we  thought  we  saw  land  N.  N.  W.  be- 
yond a  doubt.  But  as  we  brought  our  glasses  to  bear 
on  it,  it  was  doubtful  if  it  was  not  a  cloud.  There  wa» 
so  much  open  water  around  the  horizon,  and  so  much 
water-sky  above  it,  that  all  sorts  of  shapes  were  pre- 
sented to  our  view  in  mist  or  cloud.  As  we  are  now 
where  no  ship  has  ever  been,  so  far  as  is  known,  we  are 
prepared  for  some  kind  of  a  discovery,  and  as  land  is 
most  in  our  thoughts  we  are  not  unwilling  to  believe 
the  first  glance  of  our  eyes. 

April  23fZ,  Friday.  —  Having  a  clear,  bright  day  af- 
ter eight  A.  M.,  we  took  advantage  of  the  glorious  sun- 
light to  air  bedding  and  clothing,  and  at  the  same  time 
scrub  and  clean  the  berth  deck.  It  will  seem  strange 
to  some  to  air  bedding  at  a  temperature  between  3°  and 
7°,  but  to  us  the  air  is  soft  and  almost  balmy,  and  we 
bathe,  so  to  speak,  in  the  brilliant  light.  To  see  our 
dogs  basking  in  the  sun  at  this  temperature,  fat  and 
lazy  as  walrus  meat  and  no  w^ork  can  make  them,  one 
would  imagine  we  were  in  the  tropics.  As  the  sun  goes 
down  (somewhere  now  after  nine  p.  m.),  and  our  canine 
friends  begin  to  come  home  to  roost,  the  moisture  con- 
denses on  them  as  frost,  and  they  look  like  puff-balls. 
But  still  they  sleep  on,  insensible  alike  to  cold  and  frost. 
At  8.30  P.  M.  we  had  a  visit  from  a  snow  bun<^ing  {Plec- 
trophanes  nlxaVis).  Before  Newoomb  could  get  a  shot 
at  it  the  dogs  went  for  the  bird  and  drove  it  off.  It 
came  from  the  E.  and  Hew  to  the  S.  W. 

Ajjril  2ith,  Saturday.  —  Sounded  at  noon  in  thirty- 


1   (' 


i 


330 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


.ii   !' 


I  \  i 


it; 


H  1 


i;'l!;,N 


[.  '  * 


.seven  fathoms,  a  drift  to  N.  N.  W.  being  indicated  by 
the  load  line.  I  got  a  meridian  altitude  showino:  N. 
72°  52'  for  our  latitude,  so  we  are  proceeding  to  the 
northward,  at  all  events,  as  well  as  deepening  our  water. 
That  we  may  continue  to  do  so  is  my  fervent  hope,  for 
the  higher  the  latitude  the  more  satisfaction,  and  the 
deeper  the  water  the  greater  chance  of  a  speedy  break- 
mg  up  of  the  ice,  by  reason  of  movement  by  wind  or 
the  yet  to  be  discovered  current. 

A  measurement  of  the  thickness  of  the  floe  at  tlie 
sounding  hole  gives  forty  mches ;  and  as  at  the  last 
measurement  it  gave  forty-eight  inches,  a  waste  has 
occurred  to  just  the  extent  of  eight  inches. 

Ajirll  2bth,  Sunday.  —  The  passage  of  another  week 
and  the  arrival  of  another  Sunday  becomes  memorable, 
because  we  have  progressed  nearer  to  the  Pole  by  nine 
miles.  During  the  past  week  S.  E.  has  been  the  pre- 
vailing wind,  and  we  have  correspondingly  gone  N.  W. 
That  we  have  thus  drifted  indicates  a  loosening  of  the 
ice  to  the  northward  and  westward,  probably  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Liakhof  (or  New  Siberia)  Islands, 
from  74:°  to  76°.  As  the  season  advances  and  the 
weather  grows  milder,  the  ice  openings  and  perhaps 
movements  ought  to  be  greater  to  correspond,  and  we 
may  be  able  to  extricate  ourselves  and  accomplish  some- 
thing yet.  Our  soundings  to-day  are  something  ex- 
traordinary,—  forty-four  and  one  half  fathoms  (hard 
bottom),  —  being  an  increase  of  nine  fathoms  since 
yesterday.  We  may  have  struck  a  deep  hole,  or  we 
may  be  leaving  the  shallow  water  in  which  we  have 
been  drifting  all  winter,  and  getting  to  veritable  Arctic 
Ocean.  A  northerly  drift  being  still  indicated  by  the 
lead  line,  we  shall  be  to  some  extent  wiser  to-morrow. 

At  ten  A.  M.  I  inspected  the  ship,  finding  the  berth 


■  ■»■  WW  I  ^»  V,r^  1 1  _"  llf ' 


UNDEIl  TI1I<]  MIDNIGHT  SUN. 


331 


deck  nicely  clean,  and,  satisfactory  to  say,  quite  dry. 
We  are  so  changing  from  the  torpid  appearance  we 
presented  during  the  winter  to  the  ship-shape  and  tidy 
condition  we  are  generally  accustomed  to  that,  were  it 
not  for  the  leak  and  the  steady  pump,  pump,  we  could 
soon  forget  all  our  past  discomforts  in  planning  for  the 
future.  Following  inspection,  we  had  divine  service  in 
the  cabin. 

April  2(Jih,  Monday.  —  Our  soundings  dropped  sud- 
denly to  thirty-one  fathoms  (thirteen  and  one  half  fath- 
oms less  than  yesterday),  and  as  our  position  to-day  (lat- 
itude 72°  5G'  N.,  longitude  179°  16'  W.)  is  only  two  and 
one  half  miles  N.  W.  of  our  position  of  yesterday,  we 
must  assume  that  we  struck  a  deep  hole. 

A  bit  of  excitement  occurred  this  afternoon  at  4.30 
by  the  cry  of  "  Bear  ! "  A  young,  or  at  all  events  small, 
bear  had  come  up  to  about  three  hundred  yards  of  the 
ship,  when  the  dogs  gave  the  alarm,  and  out  tund)led 
Chipp,  Dunbar,  the  natives,  and  the  dogs  in  pursuit. 
His  bear.ship  left  incontinently,  and  as  the  snow-drifts 
made  heavy  traveling  for  bipeds  he  succeeded  in  escap- 
ing, to  our  regret,  as  young  bear  is  fine  eating. 

April  2Sth,  Wcdncfiilaij.  —  By  three  p.  m.  the  wind- 
mill was  in  place,  and  connected  with  the  shifted  bilge- 
pump  in  the  corner  of  the  fire-room  hatch.  The  sails 
made  of  sheeting  having  been  found  to  possess  too  lit- 
tle surface,  and  to  sag  in  too  much,  had  been  removed, 
and  in  their  places  fans  made  of  sheet  tin  (utilized  from 
our  empty  coffee  and  sugar  tins)  had  been  secured 
with  wire  stops.  So  well  did  the  new  rig  work,  that 
•it  eight  r.  m.  we  stopped  pumping  forward  by  hand, 
opened  the  starboard  tlood-gate,  and  allowed  all  the 
water  to  come  aft.  Up  to  midnight  the  windmill  was 
working  admirably,  enabling  us  to  save  a  little  coal  on 


:i 


If » 


11': 

'    .  i 


332 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


I!  'If 


'1-  :  I 


i  >nr' 


m 


I  1! 


the  steam-cutter  rig,  which  is  now  used  for  distilhng 
only.  To  provide  for  light  wind,  Melville  commenced  * 
to-day  the  construction  of  a  pump  of  boiler  tubes,  also 
to  be  worked  by  the  windmill.  To  determine  by  ex- 
periment which  will  be  the  most  economical  of  fuel,  — 
the  Baxter  or  the  steam-cutter's  engine,  —  I  directed 
Melville  to  use  the  Baxter  hereafter  for  distilling  and 
unavoidable  steam  pumping. 

Chipp  has  been  hard  at  work  of  late  making  fuses  and 
torpedoes,  in  anticipation  of  our  needing  them  for  our 
future  operations.  We  have  plenty  of  powder  for  blast- 
mg  purposes,  and  Chipp,  with  his  torpedo  experience, 
has  manufactured  the  necessary  weapons.  Mr.  Dunbar 
has  earned  among  us  the  reputation  of  making  a  mile, 
according  to  his  reckoning,  as  near  two,  judging  horn 
our  feelings,  as  can  be.  Last  fall,  upon  the  occasion  of 
killing  some  walruses,  he  came  back  for  a  boat,  and  as 
he  said  the  distance  was  about  a  mile,  the  doctor,  Mel- 
ville, and  myself  started  with  him,  a  team  of  dogs  drag- 
ging the  boat  on  the  sled.  We  ran  the  best  three  miles 
I  ever  saw,  and  were  pretty  well  used  up  before  we  got 
to  the  end  of  his  mile.  To-day,  when  he  started  out, 
I  got  him  to  carry  a  pedometer  hitched  to  his  pocket. 
On  his  return  he  said  he  thought  he  had  gone  about 
three  miles  in  all,  but  I  could  see  in  his  face  he  felt  he 
was  saying  too  much  —  that  he  ought  to  have  made  it 
less.  The  pedometer  read  five  miles.  Rule :  Multiply 
Mr.  Dunbar's  estimate  by  two,  and  then  judge  whether 
you  are  game  to  hold  out. 

Although  I  am  sure  the  ice  is  wasting  under  the  sun, 
it  wastes  far  too  slowly  for  me.  I  am  anxious  to  get  on. 
To-day  our  latitude  is  N.  72°  59'  54"  (almost  73°),  and 
I  am  hoping  that  73°  is  a  barrier  which,  once  passed,  we 
shall  go  on  with  some  credit  to  ourselves  and  the  name 


UNDER  THE   MIDNIGHT   SUN. 


333 


got 


sun, 
on. 

and 
we 

liune 


the  ship  bears.  The  snow  is  soft,  and  the  walking  ex- 
tremely bad.  Without  any  warning  one  Hounders  in 
up  to  his  knees  in  rifts  between  chunks,  and  the  shock 
of  the  slip  and  the  hauling  out  of  one's  lugs  soon  dis- 
gusts the  most  zealous  walker. 

And  yet  we  cannot  find  any  snow  fit  to  make  drink- 
ing water.  Try  we  ever  so  carefully,  in  our  choice  to 
take  the  newest  fallen,  to  seek  the  crevices  where  snow 
may  have  lodged  on  other  snow,  escaping  ice  contact, 
the  result  is  the  same,  with  this  exception,  I  almost  be- 
lieve, that  the  newest  fallen  is  the  saltest.  Using  such 
snow  for  drinking  or  cooking  is  out  of  the  question. 

Temperature  begins  at  20°,  rises  to  25°  at  noon,  and 


falls  to 


13.5° 


at  midnijrht.     As  soon  as  the  sun  sets 


(now  somewhere  about  10.20  p.  m.)  the  temperature 
changes  quickly.  As  long  as  the  sun  is  in  sight  one 
can  almost  see  the  cinders  and  ashes  settle  in  the  snow. 
ThQ  black  absorbs  so  much  heat  that  it  eats  its  way 
down  like  magic.  Oh,  as  I  have  said  before,  that  the 
snow  and  ice  were  only  black ! 

Ajml  30/ A,  Friday.  —  The  last  day  of  April.  Our 
total  drift,  as  shown  by  observations,  for  the  month, 
amounts  to  eighty-four  and  two  tenths  miles  to  and  fro. 
Actually  made  good  in  a  straight  line  forty-six  miles  to 
N.  50°  W.,  —  slow  progress,  and  almost  disheartening. 
Still  it  is  an  advance,  and  that  is  something. 

The  sunrise  was  obscured  by  fog,  but  the  sun  set  at 
11.23,  being  enormously  enlarged  by  refraction,  and 
having  an  inverted  parhelic  segment  over  it  very  much 
smaller  than  the  main  disc.  This  is  having  daylight  with 
a  vengeance.  I  could  not  help  feeling  for  those  who 
are  obliged  to  support  life  (and  apparently  with  com- 
fort) with  much  less. 

Chipp  observed  a  Hock  of  about  twenty  ducks  (ciders) 


[\ 


I.! 


ill; 


1 


i;i 


>i': 


HI 


' 


?!!'■ 


i 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


Hying  high  and  steering  west.  No  doubt  they  were 
bound  for  some  1.'  nd  in  that  direction,  but  though  wo 
strained  our  eyes  and  ghisses  as  tiie  sun  got  around 
there  we  could  see  none  of  it.  Removed  our  cabin 
porches  to-day,  letting  in  much  desired  light. 

May  l.s'^  Salurday.  —  Sun  visible  at  midnight.  The 
month  ol"  May  set  in  with  as  clear,  bright,  and  beautiful 
weather  as  1  ever  saw,  and  even  the  grim,  icy  monot- 
ony of  our  surroundings  was  not  enough  to  prevent  us 
from  enjoying  it.  A  bright  sun,  absolutely  cloudless 
sky,  and  a  temperature  during  the  afternoon  of  from 
27.5°  to  29.8°,  made  up  together  a  romantic  Arctic 
day,  needing  only  navigable  water  to  make  it  perfection 
itself.  Such  a  thing  as  remaining  on  board  ship  was 
out  of  the  question.  Everybody  except  Danenhower 
was  out  on  the  ice.  Doors  were  thrown  wide  open, 
fires  were  let  die  out,  and  all  hands  gave  themselves  up 
to  basking  in  the  beauty  without.  It  may  be  hard  to 
believe,  but  really  some  of  us  were  sunburned  to  a  bril- 
liant red.  The  dogs  actually  panted  with  the  heat,  and 
were  disagreeably  warm  to  the  touch.  Our  «pare  sails, 
which  have  been  exposed  all  winter  to  the  weather  on 
the  poop,  were  overhauled  and  found  in  perfect  condi- 
tion, having  sull'ered  no  injury  whatever,  and  were 
treated  to  a  sunning ;  and  generally  such  an  airing  of 
clothing,  bedding,  and  awnings  took  place,  and  such  a 
pleasurable  bustle,  that  one  was  led  to  look  with  some 
expectation  to  a  brighter  progress  m  our  movements 
than  had  heretofore  characterized  them.  To  make  the 
day  still  more  eventful,  the  sun,  which  had  risen  at 
0.55',  remained  with  his  upper  Hmb  above  the  horizon 
at  midnight,  as  if  loath  to  quit  so  pleasant  a  scene.  By 
a  curious  freak  of  temperature  common  to  us  of  late, 
the  thermometer  connnenced  to  fall  as  soon  as  the  sun 


UNDKK    rilF   MIDNIGHT  SL'X. 


335 


Jl 


ley  were 
loiigh  wo 
t  around 
iiir  cabin 


ht.     The 

beautiful 

y  nionot- 

i-event  us 

cloudless 

1  of  from 

ic  Arctic 

)erfecti()n 

ship  was 

leuhower 

de  open, 

selves  up 

)  hiird  to 

to  a  bril- 

leat,  and 

are  sails, 

[ither  on 

ct  condi- 

nd   were 

ring  of 

such  a 

:h  some 

venients 

lake  the 

isen  at 

horizon 

ne.    By 

of  late, 

the  sun 


had  passed  the  prime  vertical  (about  '».2')  v.  m.),  and 
as  the  day  closed  had  tumbled  to  !.")  ,  —  a  disai>reea- 
ble  reminder  that  one  May  day  does  not  nudvc  a  sum- 
mer any  nuire  tlian  one  swallow  does. 

Mr.  Dunbar   having  in  his  wanderings  come  across 

two  sets  of  bear-tracks  about  three  miles  from  the  ship, 

ilong  a  small  lead  in  the  ice,  a  traj)  was  sent  out  and 

set  for  them.     They  had  evidently  caught  a  seal  asleep 

and  oaten  it.  for  blood  was  on  the  ice  in  various  places. 

A  calculation  of  the  amount  of  the  leak,  or,  in  other 
words,  the  amount  of  water  pumped  over  board,  re- 
sults in  placing  it  at  odd  gallons  an  hour.  —  a  vast  im- 
provement over  February  lidth,  when  1.G47  gallons  per 
hour  were  pumped  out  of  the  ship.  The  cause  of  the 
decrease  can  only  be  conjectured,  for  we  may  not  knoiv 
it  for  some  time.  Either  that  portion  of  the  forefoot 
w'lich  we  assumed  to  have  been  broken  has  been  shoved 
back  by  ice  pressure  and  closes  the  leak,  or  oiu*  cement 
and  other  ma' erial  are  doiusx  more  toward  ehcckinu;  the 
inward  ilow  ol  the  water  than  we  had  counted  on.  I 
am  sufficiently  grateful,  however,  for  the  saving  of  fuel 
thereby  resulting,  to  prevent  me  from  finding  fault  with 
either  cause. 

M<(i/  2(1,  Sumhi/j.  —  Since  placing  the  compasses  in 
the  binnacles  on  Friday,  I  have  carefully  watched  them 
to  get  a  deviation  table  made  up  from  my  magnetic 
bearings  from  the  ice.  A  verv  curious  feature  has  been 
observed  in  connection  with  them.  As  the  temperature 
falls  each  night  (sometimes  getting  d'nvn  to  single  fig- 
ures) the  needles  are  drawn  to  the  right  several  degrees, 
and  as  the  temperature  increases  in  the  morning  they 
gradually  go  back  again,  resuming  a  normal  position 
when  the  temperature,  generally  speaking,  is  15^  and 
over,  as  the  needles  of  the  compasses  (Ritchie's  liquid) 


;        I- 


! 


3;;o 


Tin:    VOVAliK   OF    TIIK  .IKANNK ITK. 


arc  of  course  not  li^Iit  or  (Icliciitt.'  (mu)11«j;1i  to  indicato 
.secular  variiitions ;  aiid  as  no  sudi  niovenient  of  tlio 
fsliij)  in  a/iniu(li  takes  place,  I  can  only  account  for  it. 
by  the  action  of  the  teinjx'rature  on  the  mixture  of 
glycerine  and  alcohol  on  which  tlu'  cards  lloat. 

In  antlci[)ation  of  tiie  coniiu|j,'  of  warm  weather  and 
the  conset(uent  huntinp,-  to  ensue,  a  general  cleaning  and 
overhauling  of  rilles  and  shot-guns  took  place  on  Satur- 
day, some  miscellaneous  target  ruins'-  takiny;  place  with 
good  results,  as  showing  skill.  PJverybody  felt  satisfied 
that  with  such  marksmanship  and  the  trilling  assist- 
ance of  a  bear-trap  some  <j::ame  must  soon  be  hanu;ing 
in  the  rigging.  IVday  the  trap  was  visited,  but  to 
the  disgust  of  everybody  was  untenanted.  Two  bear.s 
had  visited  it,  and  one  had  even  trodden  on  it  without 
being  caught.  In  setting  it  the  trap  had  been  buried 
in  the  snow,  which  hardened  so  much  around  it  as  to 
make  it  impossible  to  close.  Hence  our  disappoint- 
ment. However  wo  have  not  (inished  eating  our  last 
capture,  and  to-day  at  dinner  could  well  appreciate 
that  a  bear  on  the  table  was  worth  two  not  in  the  trap. 
At  ten  A.  M.  we  had  general  muster,  and  read  the  Arti- 
cles of  War,  after  which  T  inspected  the  ship,  finding 
cverythint'-  trim  and  neat.  Our  colors  were  set  for  the 
first  tune  in  this  part  of  the  world  I  am  certain.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  inspection  divine  service  was  per- 
formed. 

3Ia(j  od,  Mouihiy.  —  Our  first  c;ise  of  eyes  damaged 
by  snow  occurred  to-day  in  Mr.  Dunbar.  The  man  of 
most  experience,  and  generally  the  greatest  care  in 
eaich  matters,  is  the  first  to  go  under.  His  is  not  a  seri- 
ous case,  however,  and  he  will  be  around  in  a  day  or 
two.  His  eagerness  to  try  my  Winchester  led  him  to 
wander  around  looking  for  bears  more  than  was  pru- 
dent. 


l!iii 


UNDKIl    IIIH   MinNKIIir   SIX. 


o<)  ( 


3/(ti/  -\fl>,  7'in'inhni.  —  Oiii-  t'xporienL'i'  on  till:'  cruise 
may  not  only  ho  of  iulvimti»y;o  to  oiirHulvcs  hut  it  lutiy 
soi've  to  iU'('()iu|)llsli  an  iuiprovouuMit  in  souu'  ai'ticU's 
of  Arctic  outlit.  On  one  occasion  when  Melville  and  1 
sat  l<H)kinu:  at  our  stove  and  wondering-  il'  it  could  not 
be  made  to  nnsuer  more  than  one  ])ur[)ose  (lor  so  eco- 
nomical have  we  lieconie  that  nothing  seems  valuahlo 
for  I'uture  equipment  that  cannot  do  at  least  two 
things),  the  (juestion  came  up  as  to  whether  a  stove 
might  not  he  made  to  distill  watiir  as  well  as  keep  a 
room  or  cahin  warm.  Melville  ])romptly  said  yes,  it 
could  be  done,  and  that  even  our  cal)in  stove  miuht  he 


11 


made  to  distill,  with  some  additional  littmgs,  a  sma 
quantity  ol  water;  but  that  the  necessity  of  arranging 
those  fittings,  so  that  the  salt  or  scale  might  be  re- 
nmved  as  it  accumulated,  wouM  involve  such  .1  dis[)ro- 
])ortionate  amount  of  gca;ing  for  the  result  gained, 
^vith  so  much  additional  consumption  of  fuel,  that  W(j 
%voiild  be  not  as  well  ol'f  as  with  our  present  distiller, 
esj)ecially  as  we  have  to  pump  by  steam.  Kecurriug 
to  the  subject  to-day  I  asked  him  to  give  me  his  plan 
of  such  an  apj)aratus  as  would  heat  and  distill  with  the 
greatest  economy,  for  some  possible  Arctic  ship  in  the 
future.  1  am  so  convinced  that  he  has  solved  a  great 
problem  and  produced  an  incalcidaldy  valuable  article 
of  outfit,  that  1  would  be  almost  sulliciently  ready  to 
imdertiike  another  Arctic  voyage  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  proving  it. 

Should  we  be  so  fortunate  as  to  return  without  having 
had  the  scurvy  break  out  amonjjr  \is,  I  think  it  will  be 
because  Ave  had  pure  water  to  drink,  for  1  do  not  think 
that  our  situation  is  thus  far  any  less  prejudicial  to 
general  health  thar  the  Tegethoff's  or  De  Haven's 
Expedition,  both  of  which  wintered  in  the  pack  and 


•SA 


'I  * 

...  .,>' 

lL:ii|! 


'h!    I! 


I    I 


iiJ 


u 


3:^>S 


IIIK   VOVAdE   OF    IHK  JEANXETIE. 


■\vere  afllictod  with  scurvy  to  a  considerable  extent. 
But  inasmuch  as  the  Nares'  Expedition  were  consum- 
ing water  wdiich  was  pure  (accorcHng-  to  the  nitrate  of 
silver  test,  as  testified  to  by  Dr.  Moss),  and  yet  broke 
down  with  scurvy,  there  may  be  some  other  cause  to 
alTect  us  which  we  have  yet  to  learn  (and  avoid,  for  we 
do  not  want  the  proof  by  experience). 

It  is  very  liard  and  almost  impossible  to  get  men  to 
imderstand  tlie  importance  of  this  matter  (when  I  say 
men  T  mean  the  averaire  seaman  Ijefore  the  nuist).  Last 
full  when  I  was  straining  every  nerve  to  koej)  snow 
water  from  being  drunk  after  w'c  found  it  becominu: 
impure,  and  burning  coal  more  precious  than  diamonds, 
to  distill  with  the  Baxter  boiler,  some  outrai*:eons  thinii's 
would  occiu".  Thouu'h  the  men  knew  that  diarrlux'a 
had  been  caused  by  impure  water,  and  that  it  woidd 
continue  while  such  water  was  used,  no  judgment  could 
be  discerned  in  some  of  them.  .For  instance,  as  the 
sup])ly  of  distilled  water  was  just  equal  to  the  demaml 
for  drinking  and  cooking,  it  would  not  be  quite  cool  at 
all  times,  and  though  a  moment's  exposure  of  a  tin 
pot  to  the  outside  air  would  have  cooled  it  more  than 
enough,  goodness  knows,  a  man  would  fdl  his  tin  cup 
half  full  of  siiow  'uel'oi'e  di])ping  it  in  the  barrel,  not 
only  making  his  own  potful  impure  l)ut  spoiling  more 
or  less  the  w:  ter  \.\  the  barrel.  Of  course  that  nas 
stopped,  the  I  arrel  headed  uj).  and  a  faucet  inserted. 
and  the  (iren-  ui  on  duty  put  in  charg<'  of  it.  Again, 
the  cook  iiiK  "ng  the  snow  water,  for  cleaning  dislies, 
etc..  |)leasant  enough  to  the  taste,  would  add  much  or 
little  to  the  tea  water  as  the  distilled  water  was  more 
or  less  scant.  This  could  be  stopped  and  was  sto[)ped. 
To  him  the  idea  of  necessaiy  quantity  was  more  impor- 
tant than  any  over-sensitiveness  as  to  (puility.  These 
merelv  illustrate  the  lack  of  judgment. 


r\I)f:]t   THE  MIDNIGH'J'  .sux. 


than 

111  cup 

1.  not 

more 

it   nas 

or ted, 

Auain, 

islies, 

icli  or 

more 

)])e(l, 

iMpor- 

riie.se 


Now  the  (liHuuiltv  arises  ahout  iiisui-iim-  the  weariiisi; 
of  snow-spectacles.  They  are  inconvenient,  and  to  some 
nnpleasant,  but  none  the  less  important  and  necessary. 
Though  they  m.'.y  not  entirely  pre\x'nt  snow-blindness, 
they  will  guar'!  against  it  longer  than  an  uncovei'ed 
eye,  and  make  its  elTects  less  painful  and  lasting,  I 
see  that  human  judgment  w\\\  lead  the  average  seaman 
U'  prefer  certain  snow-blindness  to  a  probal)l('  Ireedom 
from  it,  and  hence  I  shall  issue  a  stringent  order  on  the 
suljject. 

At  four  o'clock  this  afternoon  a  large  bear  paid  us  a 
visit,  and  l)ut  for  our  haste  might  now  lie  adorning  our 
rigging.  The  reporting  of  a  l)ear  sets  ii-^  all  on  lir.', 
and  away  we  go.  When  Erickseii  came  into  the  cabin 
and  said  ••  Bear."  out  jumped  the  doctor.  Ne-wcomb.  and 
iTiysc'*"  with  ritles  and  sfied  over  the  side.  The  dogs 
seeing  us  rush  jumi)ed  to  tlieir  li'<-t.and  scenting  or  see- 
ing the  bear  about  two  hundi'ed  yards  off  made  for  him. 
That  was  enough;  he  turned  and  ran.  T  lired  at  him 
(hitting  him,  I  afterwards  learned,  in  the  left  fore- 
shoulder),  luit  on  he  sped,  dogs  aiul  all  in  chase,  and 
though  hotly  pursued  he  gained  so  much  that  when  at 
three  miles  he  came  to  a  water  lane  one  hundred  yards 
wide,  he  had  time  to  swim  across  it.  and  u'ain  some 
huTiuuocks  on  the  other  side  before  Alexcy  got  lo  the 
odu'e.  Here  Alexev  fired,  and  says  he  hit  him.  but  he 
went  down  'lehind  the  rough  ice  and  was  seen  no  more. 
He  savs  before  he  fired  he  saw  the  blo'  d  ilowing  from 
the  bear's  left  shoulder,  and  had  seen  tlie  bloodv  trail 
he  left  behind. 

A  pleasant  report  came  liack  from  the  open  water 
that  there  were  "  plenty  l)irds,"  and  as  Ave  arc  unicli 
interested  in  that  fact  from  love  of  bird  pie  as  well  as 
for  naturalist's  'easons,  Mr.  Newcomb  prepares  for  a 
battue  on  the  morrow. 


340 


TIIK   VOYAfiE   OF   Till':   -IKANNE  I'lE. 


1- 


:| 


n 


M((>/  ■'ifh,  Werhie.sddjj.  —  To-dny  i.s  inemorablc^  ns 
showing  (3ur  position  to  bo  west  ol"  the  ISOth  meridian, 
an  extraordinary  oceurrence  in  view  of  the  still"  N.  W. 
wind  and  the  indicated  drift  S.  E.  by  the  lead  line. 
Either  our  iee-field  must  have  acquired  sutlicient  move- 
ment duriuo-  the  long  continuance  of  S.  E.  Avind  to  work 
to  windward  with  the  change,  or  we  are  in  a  N.  W.  cur- 
rent. 1  do  not  change  the  date,  for  in  a  dav  or  two 
we  may  I)egin  to  go  hack  and  soon  iind  oiu'selves  east  of 
that  meridian,  necessitating  a  further  change,  and  so  on 
back  and  forth,  AVheu,  therefore,  we  arc  -o  far  in  east 
lonti'itude  as  to  mak(^  our  crossinii;  to  west  lonu'itude 
again  a  question  of  considerable  time,  I  shall  change 
our  date.     Meanwhile  we  will  go  o^  .:  ■  before. 

Our  position  exactly  is  in  latiind,  "  IT  24",  longi- 
tude lir  37'  30"  K..  a  drift  of  eiu'ht  miles  X.  03"  W. 
having  taken  places  since  tbc  1-t,  or  two  miles  a  day 
perha|>s.      Newc(jml)  and  Alcxcy  went  out  on  a  shoot- 

"  I  inu"  <  'ursion  and  I)rought  back 
M:  rs.  Nothing  coidd 
be  found  of  tiie  bear  shot  yestei"- 
day.  tind  so  we  are  tbat  nm<h  out. 
M't>/  ('^Ih,  Thurxihiy.  —  \  party 
going  to  the  lead  three  miles  8.  PI 
of  the  >hii)  found  it  siowlv  elos- 
iug  \\\)  from  the  movement  of  the 
Hoes,  and  they  saw  some  guille- 
mots and  the  tracks  of  a  fox. 

Tests  for  carbonic  acid  at    ten 
P.  M.  on  the  berth  deck  give    1.00 
volume-'   iKT    1.^0     or   .l^n    p^.^.  Q^^'^^\       \   y^>,.y   m,)(),| 

showing  for  [x-ople  living  under  our  circumstances. 

Mdi/  nil,  Fi'  ij. — Tin>  water-sky  i  much  dimin- 
ished in  extent,  aiid  tra\ck'r>  to  the  o[)eu  water  S.  E. 
of  the    bi[)  rrport  't  fro7.(Mi  over. 


^^  A   three   u'uillei 


Tha  B;ack  G.. 


l\\ 


^gm 


rahlo  ;is 
leridian, 
fr  N.  W. 
351(1  lino, 
it  move- 
to  Avork 

.  ^y.  ciir- 

v^  01*  two 
s  oast  of 
11(1  so  oil 
r  ill  oast 
iiinitiicle 
('hant>'0 

o 

,  loiigi- 
.  G3°  W. 
OS  a  (lay 
I  shoot- 
lit  haolv 
ig  could 
yoste  I'- 
ll .1  out. 
[larty 
•sS.E. 
y  clos- 
ol"  the 
i^uillo- 

al    t(^ii 
I.  (ID 
Liood 

diiiiiii- 
S.  E. 


IM 


h, 


1 1 

S  i 


t^ 


'mi- 


H; 


\'A 

ill  ■ 

j'^l  K 

'\\h 

1  't  >'  <  ^m 

U  ''\-m 

i  ' 

1 

-JtMHK 


UNDEIl   THE  MIDNIGHT   SUN. 

coniinir  tuid  ii'oino; 


May  Sth,  Saturday.  —  Th 


of 


one 


more  day  and  nothing  gained.  This  kind  of  life  is 
really  becoming  monotonous.  Each  day  finds  our  coal 
pile  dhninishing,  and  no  sign  yet  of  weather  wliich 
would  make  it  safe  to  stop  our  fires  on  the  berth-deck 
and  in  the  cabm.  A  temperature  of  32''  would  be  as 
acceptable  as  possible,  although  it  is  the  freezing  ]ioint 
of  fresh  water.  This  day  commences  with  a  tempera- 
ture of  minus  3.7",  ;ind  though  the  wind  blows  from 
E.  S.  E.  (dl  day,  it  gets  no  waimer  than  plus  12  at 
midnight.  The  weather  is  gloomy,  depressing,  and  dis- 
agreeable. Velocities  ranging  from  ten  to  twenty-three 
miles  drive  the  snow  from  the  face  of  the  lloe  in  clouds, 
and  other  snow  falling  makes  distant  o1)jects,  say  one 
hundred  yards,  invisil)le.  Here  and  there  alonu'side 
the  ship  a  little  white  lump  indicates  that  there  is  a 
dou'  beneath  it,  and  even  the  regular  and  irreu'ular  doi>' 
fiohts  are  discontinued  imtil  the  weather  u'ets  clearer 
and  friend  can  be  distiuiruished  from  foe.  I  have  in- 
tended  for  some  time  to  dwell  upon  the  peculiarities  of 
our  dogs,  but  efich  time  the  subject  has  seouuMl  too 
extensive  for  my  daily  journal.  Why  they  light,  how 
they  fight,  iind  whom  ihey  fight,  seem  to  be  purely  al)- 
stract  questions  with  them,  so  long  as  it  is  a  fight.  For 
instance,  doy-s  one  and  two  will  see  dou:  thive  in  a  uood 
position,  perhaps  enjoying  a  meat  can  that  has  btn-n 
eniptj-  for  months  and  has.  of  course,  no  nutriment. 
As  if  by  concerted  plan  one  and  two  will  spring  on 
three,  roll  him  over,  and  seemingly  tear  him  in  pieces. 
Fortunately  the  wool  is  so  long  and  thick  that  an  at- 
tackinsj;  doi>"  u'ets  his  mouth  full  of  hair  before  his  front 
teeth  reach  the  fiesh,  so  no  irreat  damajire  is  done  (^en- 
erally.  The  vulnerable  places  are  the  ears  and  the 
bellv.     I  have  seen  an  attacked  dot;'  run.  and.  lying  on 


III 
III ; 


344 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


m'M 


>li  ■!  i. 


,'•'  '  I 


m 


w  > 


liis  stomach,  shove  liis  head  into  a  snow  bank  with  im- 
punity, while  his  t'ocs  were  choking  over  tlie  hair  they 
tore  out  of  his  back.  However,  this  is  a  long  digres- 
sion. Suddenly  dog  three  will  turn  on  dog  two  and  l)e 
promptly  aided  by  dog  one,  his  previous  I'oe.  By  this 
time  the  whole  pack  has  gathered  as  if  by  magic,  and 
a  free  and  indiscriminate  light  occurs,  until  the  advent 
of  the  quartermaster  with  the  whip  and  a  merciless  ap- 
plication of  it  breaks  up  the  row. 

They  divide  up  into  little  gangs  of  three  or  four,  and 
in  these  friendly  cliques  they  also  fight.  For  days  ev- 
erything may  go  on  smoothly,  when  one  of  the  set 
does  something  offensive  to  iiis  mates,  and  one  of  them 
(or  sometime^  all  of  them)  ;.dministers  a  thrashing,  and 
the  offender  is  sent  to  Coventry  until  their  feelings  calm 
down.  It  is  a  connnon  occurrence  to  see  a  doir  on  the 
black  list,  a,  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  ship,  all  alone 
and  afraid  to  come  in  until  his  time  is  up.  He  then  ap- 
proaches fawningly,  wagging  his  tail  deprecatingly  to 
become  reconciled,  and  is  either  welcomed  with  wauiiinyr 
tails  or  snarlimz:  teeth,  in  which  latter  case  he  retires  to 
his  isolated  position  for  another  spell.  Another  pecul- 
iarity is,  that  though  they  make  no  demonstration  at 
any  dog  singly,  or  a  team,  going  away,  except  the  most 
doleful  howling  in  concert,  they  seem  to  consider  it  a 
terrible  indignity  that  he  or  they  should  presume  to 
come  back.  The  remainder  of  the  pack  scent  the  ar- 
riving one,  several  hundred  3'ards  off,  and  gather  await- 
ing him.  If  a  team  comes  in,  a  rough-and-tumble 
fight  commences  between  the  harnessed  and  the  free, 
which  reipures  two  or  three  men  to  stop.  As  soon  as 
the  harness  is  off  they  are  all  smooth  and  quiet  again, 
the  cliques  reassemljling  and  moving  off  to  their  usual 
haunts.     If  a  single  dog,  so  much  the  worse  luck  for 


I     K 


UNDEIl   THE   MIDXrOIIT   SUN. 


n45 


I    I 


k  with  iin- 
i  liair  tlioy 
ng  cligros- 
wo  and  I)e 
.  By  this 
nngic,  and 
he  advent 
rcile.ss  ap- 

'  four,  and 
I'  days  ev- 
•f  the  set 
^  of  tliein 
hing.  and 
iiigs  cahn 
og  on  the 
all  alone 
f  then  ap- 
tingly  to 
wauyiniT 
■e tires  to 
'^r  pecul- 
ation at 

le  most 
■ider  it  a 
■<unie  to 

the  ar- 
r  await- 
-tunihle 
he  free, 
soon  as 

again, 
V  usual 


> 


him.  As  soon  as  he  appears  they  are  all  on  him.  Let 
him  he  never  so  wary,  and  slink  around  hummocks  to 
reach  the  ship  unohserved,  some  one  dog  sees  his  head 
or  his  tail,  gives  the  signal,  and  away  they  go.  It  is 
then  a  question  of  speed,  for  if  the  single  dog  hut 
reaches  his  usual  sunning  or  stopping-place  he  is  safe  ; 
for.  l)y  some  rule  always  observed,  the  getting  to  home 
base  restores  him  to  the  full  rights  of  citizenship.  The 
cautious  approach,  and  the  great  speed  on  the  last 
stretch,  are  worthy  of  much  higher  intelligence  than 
we  usually  give  to  dogs.  The  care  they  bestow  on  each 
other  in  distress  or  trouble,  arising  from  disability,  has 
a  marked  exhibition  in  the  case  of  Jack  and  Snuffy. 
Snuffy  had  his  nose  bitten  into  hi  a  fight  at  St.  Michael's 
last  summer,  and  in  consequence  his  head  is  twice  the 
natural  size,  by  swelling  and  diseased  bone.  Jack  is 
seemingly  Snulfy's  brother,  and  he  is  devoted  to  him 
beyond  much  human  fraternal  affection.  lie  stavs  by 
Snuffy,  cleans  him,  sees  that  he  is  not  molested  by 
other  dogs,  follows  him  into  enemies'  camps,  leads  him 
through  in  safety,  and  guards  his  retreat.  Let  Snuffy 
get  a  tid-l)it,  like  an  old  moccasin  or  a  piece  of  hide, 
Jack  sees  him  secure  it,  stands  by  him  while  he  chews 
it.  and  if  he  leaves  it,  chews  it  for  him  until  he  seems 
to  want  it  again,  when  it  is  promptly  surrendered.  So 
accustomed  have  the  pack  become  to  this  sort  of  thing, 
that  they  permit  uiany  liberties  with  their  food  which 
they  would  resent  with  a  well  dog. 

Their  cunninu'  is  extraordinary.  Going  out  the  other 
night  at  twelve  for  meteorological  observations,  about 
II  dozen  of  thcui  came  around  me  in  great  excitement 
about  vouielhiny;  or  other.  Look  in  >;•  around  for  a  cause, 
I  obsei'ved  a  (>'o«)d-si/.e(l  dog  head  first  in  a  '  irrel  at  an 
an^le,  with  only  his  tail  and  Manks  sticking  out.     lie 


I  I 


V. 


'  \ 


346 


THE  V()YA(;e  of  tiik  jeaxnette. 


ail 


I*!    I 


liiul  gone  in  for  some  walrus  moat  at  the  l)Ottoni,  and 
no  (log  iiad  driven  him  out,  because  his  stern  view  was 
not  recognizable  as  belonging  to  a  bull}'  or  not.  Anx- 
ious to  save  the  meat  1  went  to  the  l)arrel  and  drove 
liim  out,  when  half  of  the  gang  recognizing  him  as  no 
great  fighter,  pitched  into  him,  while  the  other  half 
fought  among  themselves  for  the  entry  into  the  barrel. 
For  fear  of  catching  a  Tartar  they  had  waited  for  some 
one  to  solve  the  conundrum,  "  Who  is  in  the  barrel  ?  " 

M(i(/  \)th,  Sumlaij.  —  At  ten  a.  m.  I  inspected  the  sliip. 
The  berth  deck  is  now  dry  and  comfortable,  and  in 
good  order  and  condition.  I  think  our  men  really  en- 
joy it ;  for,  considering  the  size  of  the  vessel,  it  is  really 
cheerful  and  spacious.  Far  removed  from  the  oflicers' 
quarters,  there  is  no  restraint  upon  the  men's  singing, 
smoking,  and  card-playing  within  prescribed  hours,  and 
thev  are  made  to  feel  at  home.  All  the  work  being 
done  in  the  deck-house,  and  the  provisions  being  ol)- 
tained  from  otlier  places,  there  is  nothing  to  interfere 
Avith  their  perfect  occupation  of  their  own  quarters. 
The  steani-punqD  auxiliary  is  in  its  new  place  in  the 
store-room,  which,  by  the  way,  is  about  as  fully  stowed 
as  an  Q^g,  but  dry  and  orderly.  The  deck-house  is  one 
large  work-shop  and  receptacle  for  knapsacks,  parkies, 
and  boots,  relieving  the  berth  deck  of  much  inq)edi- 
menta.  The  galley-house  is  clean  and  remarkably  tidy, 
the  berths  of  the  two  Chinese  being  models  of  neat- 
ness. If  the  two  that  we  have  are  fair  representatives 
of  their  race,  1  consider  them  a  wonderful  nation. 

Tiie  cabin  is  of  course  dry,  neat,  and  comfortable. 
The  ward-room  is  dry,  but  needs  a  scrubbing  about  the 
deck  and  ])aiut  Avork,  which  Ave  are  as  yet  unable  to 
give  it  on  account  of  low  tenq:)eratures,  and  the  danger 
of  adding  to  Danenhower's  disability.     In  him  I  can 


ilLw. 


UNDER    rilK  MIDXKJIIT   SUN. 


347 


sec  no  change:  if  his  eye  seems  to  improve  for  a  day 
or  so,  it  only  precedes  a  fresh  outbreak,  which  makes  It 
difficult  to  say  whether  or  not  it  is  as  bad  as  it  ever 
was.  Being  allowed  by  the  doctor  to  be  about  the 
cabin  during  the  day,  with  one  eye  covered  up  entirely, 
and  the  other  protected  by  a  colored  goggle,  and  even 
in  dry,  warm  weather,  to  go  on  deck  under  the  awning 
for  a  few  moments,  c;irefullv  chanii-intj!:  his  foot-ijear  for 
rubber  boots  before  going  out,  and  changing  back  on 
coming  in,  —  he  became  over-conddeut,  began  looking 
at  and  trying  to  distinguish  too  many  things,  then  went 
a  step  or  two  outside  the  awning,  in  the  full  sunlight, 
and  finally  delayed  changing  his  foot-gear,  and  the  re- 
sult is  he  is  down  in  iiis  room  in  the  dark  ajjrain,  onlv 
allowed  to  come  up  to  breakfast  and  supper  blindfolded. 
How  his  case  will  terminate  I  cannot  say.  After  in- 
spection, divine  service  was  performed  in  the  cabin. 

3fc(>/  lOfh,  Mondaij.  —  Another  day  of  perfect  monot- 
ony, waiting  for  the  mikl  weather  and  open  water,  which 
do  not  come.  Strange  to  say,  however,  good  observa- 
tions placed  the  ship  four  miles  W.  of  where  she  was  on 
the  7th.  Either  we  have  been  in  the  mean  time  further 
W.  and  have  come  back  again,  or  else  lead-liue  indica- 
tions are  valueless.  Latitude  73"  0'  49"  N.,  longitude 
179^  9'  5-5"  E.  If  this  latitude  were  only  83^  9'  49", 
how  much  l)etter  satisfied  I  should  be  with  our  work  of 
exploration. 

Mdji  Will,  Tuesday.  —  An  absolutely  uneventful  day. 
At  three  a.  yi.  an  occasional  crack  could  be  heard  from 
the  ice  about  the  ship,  but  very  faint  and  of  no  impor- 
tance, nnless  it  be  a  sign  of  Avasting  away.  Really  the 
sameness  and  monotony  of  this  hoping  and  waiting  are 
Avearing  upon  me.  Were  we  somewhat  further  north,  we 
would  not  expect  milder  weather  or  a  breaking  up  nntil 


I. 


m 


348 


TIIK   VOYAGE   OF    rilK   .IE ANNETTE. 


IV    I  1! 

•  f  i 


nu 


niLicli  later,  hut  in  oiii-  position  I  tliiiii\  I  am  justilied 
ill  expect in_u'  a  let-up  soon. 

J/(n/  \'l(li,  Wvdmxdaii.  —  A  cloud v,  ulooniv,  unconi- 
i'ortable  (lav.  A  seal  was  l)rou<i'lit  in,  hut  tuirorlunatelv 
it  was  of  the  tee-gong  (?)  species,  unlit  to  eat  hecause 
of  its  strong  turpentine  taste.  The  odor  i'roin  it  as  it 
lav  upon  the  ice  was  sullicieiitly  indicative  of  its  ohai- 
acter.  I  keep  his  skull.  Mr.  Dunhar  and  Alexey  each 
shot  a  guillemot  with  a  ritle,  almost  tearing  the  hirds 
in  pieces.  As  an  evidence  of  good  shooting,  it  was  a 
decided  success.  And  with  this  small  record  of  a  day's 
doings  I  must  he  content. 

31(1 11  Viith,  Thurstbtii.  —  The  usual  monotony  of  our 
daily  existence  was  ])leasantly  hroken  in  upon.  Ninde- 
mann  and  Alexey  while  out  to-day  shot  a  seal  and  two 
guillemots,  which  they  hrought  in,  Nindemann  drag- 
ging the  seal  heliind  him,  —  a  lahorious  task,  which  he 
said  had  lasted  for  ahout  seven  miles.  Mr.  Dunhar  took 
the  entrails  of  the  seal  caught  yesterday,  and  went  out 
to  set  a  hear-trap  in  the  afternoon.  At  'J..30  p.  m., 
Ericksen  having  the  deck.  Cliipp  went  out  to  have  a 
look  around  before  turniuij:  in,  and  from  the  roof  of  the 
deck-house  he  .saw,  two  hundred  yards  on  our  starboard 
bow,  a  large  bear  sitting  on  a  hummock  gazing  at  the 
ship.  In  a  moment  Chipp  and  Newcomb  were  on  the 
house  top  with  their  rifles.  Cliipp  fired  first,  and  thinks 
he  hit  the  bear ;  Newcomb  fired  next  and  hit,  and  then 
Chipp  fired  again,  hitting  this  time  without  doubt,  for 
down  lie  went.  The  dogs  quickly  gathered  around  him, 
and  Mr.  Bruin  tjot  on  his  feet  and  made  tirood  traveling 
over  tremendously  bad  ice  and  snow-drifts,  although  he 
was  bleeding  freely.  The  doctor,  Chipp,  and  myself 
followed  Newcomb  in  the  pursuit,  and  by  the  time  the 
bear  got  one  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  ship  he  halted, 


UNDKI!   TIIK    MIDNK.IIT   SUN. 


!4l) 


just  ill  0(1 

iinooin- 
tunatcly 

l)ecause 

it.  as  it 
ts  cliiir- 
:ov  each 
lie  hi  I'd. s 

it  was  a 
[  a  (hiy's 

y  ol"  our 
Ninde- 
and  two 
111  drat!;- 
vliich  he 
bar  took 
eut  out 

0  V.  M., 
have  a 
oi"  the 

[arhoard 

at  the 

on  the 

thinks 

lid  then 

|ubt,  for 
id  liiin. 

laveling 
uu'h  he 


If 


iiiyse 


line  the 
halted, 


showed  fight  to  the  dogs  who  stuck  to  liim.  giving  New- 
conih  a  chance  to  put  another  bulK't  in  him,  tumbling 
liim  over  tiiis  tiiiu!  for  good,  and  we  luiuk'd  him  into 
tlie  shij).  He  was  eight  feet  eight  inchi's  in  kMigth  owv 
nil,  and  five  feet  ten  inches  in  girth,  and  weiglicd  about 
eight  hundred  pounds,  rather  old.  l)Ut  fat  and  tender. 


and  a  welcome  addition  to  our  hirder.     The 


liead 


an* 


skin  Avere  given  to  Mr.  Newcomb,  at  liis  rcfjuest,  as  tro- 
phies. The  traveling,  as  I  said  before,  was  tremen- 
dously bad.  'J'he  surface  of  the  ice-field  around  us  from 
a  distance  of  two  hundred  yards  outward  is  all  broken 
and  hove  up,  the  up-ended  pieces  of  iloelx'fgs  standing 
at  all  angles  and  in  all  positions.  Tlie  small  amount 
of  snow  which  has  fallen  durino-  the  winter  has  been 
swept  in  masses  of  drift  in  all  nooks  and  crannies  and 
spaces,  making  a  most  uneven  surface,  lleie  and  there 
the  crust  has  hardened  enough  to  present  an  apjjcar- 
ance  of  strength.  One  trusts  himself  on  it,  and  imme- 
diately sinks  to  his  waist.  To  get  out  is  difficult.  To 
get  one  leg  out,  the  weight  of  the  body  must  !je  Ijrought 
on  the  hands,  and  they  in  turn  sink  in  the  siiow',  and  the 
leverai>:e  is  lost.  Flounder,  flounder,  until  bv  chance 
one  foot  strikes  a  piece  of  ice  underneath,  which  gives 
siip})ort  while  the  work  of  extrication  is  com|)leted.  fol- 
lowed very  probably  by  another  sinking,  and  so  on  (ifJ 
nauseam.  Frequently  one  comes  to  a  more  dangerous 
j)lace  between  two  floe-piece  edges.  —  for  instance,  an 
end  with  a  snow  pit  between,  into  which  he  sinks  unex- 
pectedly to  his  breast,  and  has  almost  literally  to  claw 
himself  out  with  his  nails.  In  fine,  even  the  dogs  iloun- 
der  and  struggle  in  vain,  and  some  of  them  have  to  be 
helped  out  by  man.  Only  the  bears  seem  to  have  a 
knowledge  of  these  pitfalls,  and  they  profit  by  it. 
I  can  now  very  well  understand  the  enormous  diffi- 


!l 


U. 


■    ■ 

\ 

> 

t         1 

il! 

^. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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1.0 


I.I 


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1^     1^ 


■  2.2 


140 


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ii 


2.0 


1-25   II  1.4   mil  1.6 

=  11=^  m=^ 

4 

6" 

► 

Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRICT 

WCBSTIR.N.Y.  14580 

(716)  •72-4S03 


h. 


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fi^^'se 


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/{."id 


THE  A'OYACJE  OF  THE  JEANXETTE. 


'i:  I 


M  .'  I 


;i   i 


cultios  of  Captain  Markham  in  his  struggle  northward 
Ironi  tlie  Alert's  winter-quarters,  and  I  cheerfully  admit 
the  correctness  of  his  cousin's  remark,  that  no  sleduinir 
could  accomplish  anything  on  the  rough  ice  I  would  en- 
counter north  of  Behring  Strait.  If  anything  should 
force  us  to  abandon  our  ship,  1  am  satisfied  that  we 
should  be  iniable  to  drag  enough  provisions  to  enable 
lis  to  reach  Siberia ;  and  that,  unless  aided  by  the  grow- 
ing improvement  in  the  season  we  could  kill  enough  to 
eat  as  we  journeyed,  our  only  salvation  would  be  in 
coming  to  open  water  early  in  the  distance,  as  did  Wey- 
precht's  })arty  from  the  Tegetthof. 

By  my  observations  to-day,  I  locate  our  po>ition  in 
latitude '73'  7'  40"  N.,  longiUide  178°  57'  45"  E..  — a 
drift  since  yesterday  of  a  mile  and  a  half  W.  being 
shown.  Whatever  theory  may  have  been  advanced  as 
to  currents  in  ' -lis  part  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  I  think  our 
drift  is  demonstrating  that  they  are  the  local  creation 
of  the  wind  for  the  time  beinu'.  As  our  drift  in  u'liueral 
resulting  direction  has  been  N.  W.  since  our  first  be- 
setment,  so  is  it  a  fact  that  the  greater  amount  of  wind 
has  been  from  the  S.  E.. — our  short  and  irregular  side 
drift  east  and  west  and  occasionally  back  to  south  being 
due  to  correspondingly  short  and  irregular  winds  from 
X.  W.  or  E.  A  glance  at  my  wind  record  will  make 
that  clear. 

As  vet  no  land.  Our  log  is  headed.  "  Beset  m  the 
})ack  to  the  northward  and  westward  of  Herald  Island," 
because  Herald  Island  is  the  most  northerly  land  we 
have  seen;  but  Herald  Island  is  now  S.,  4F  E.,  142 
miles  distant,  and  is  rather  remote  to  date  from.  A 
flock  of  birds  flew  across  the  bows  from  E.  to  W.  this 
morning,  as  if  indicating  a  land  in  that  direction,  but 
we  can  as  yet  see  nothing  of  it. 


rthwiud 
ly  admit 
■fledging 
ould  en- 
f  should 
that  wo 
)  enable 
le  grow- 
lough  to 
Id  be  in 
lid  Wey- 

vition  in 

E..  — a 

V.  being 

aneed  as 

link  our 

creation 

general 

iirst  l)e- 

ol'  wind 

ular  side 

th  being 

ids  from 

ill  make 

2t  in  the 
Island," 
land  we 
E.,  Uli 
rom.  A 
W.  this 
ion,  but 


UNDER  THE  MIDNIGHT   SUN. 


351 


Matj  lith,  Friday.  —  It  never  rains  but  it  pours  — 
bears.  This  morning,  at  four,  one  a})proached  the  ship 
from  astern,  E.  N.  E.,  but  before  he  got  within  good 
rancje  the  cloijcs  saw  him  and  made  a  rush  at  him.  Mr. 
Collins  started  in  pursuit  with  a  revolver,  but  it  was  no 
even  chase.  A  bear  seems  able  to  go  when  the  travel- 
ing will  use  up  a  man.  The  temptation  to  follow  in 
this  case  was  strong,  for  at  about  every  hundred  yards 
the  doiTs  would  briiiii'  the  bear  to  for  a  moment  or  two 
and  allow  Mr.  Collins  to  get  almost  within  revolver 
range.  In  this  manner  he  went  a  mile  and  a  half,  and 
then  relinquished  the  chase  to  Alexey  and  his  dogs. 
Tiiese  followed  several  miles,  but  Mr.  Bruin  was  not 
overtaken. 

Later  on,  Chipp  saw  another  one  on  our  port  bow. 
He  tired  and  hit  the  bear,  for  over  he  went ;  but  tak- 
ing to  the  rough  ice  Bruin  got  away,  although  chased. 
Ericksen  and  Bartlett  followed  on  his  trail,  and  after  a 
tramp  of  seven  miles  lost  him  at  some  young  ice.  It  is 
too  bad  that  these  animals  have  so  much  life,  for  liiose 
that  are  wounded  probably  die  at  some  later  time  from 
the  wound,  and  of  course  are  lost  to  us.  It  seems  neces- 
sary to  fill  a  bear  so  full  of  lead  that  he  cannot  carry  'L 
to  induce  him  to  give  up  the  ghost  near  the  ship. 

The  new  crank  shaft  and  centre  bearing  of  the  wind- 
mill^ being  finished  the  mill  was  again  mounted,  and  at- 
tached to  the  shifted  bilge-puni])  in  the  corner  of  the 
<ire-room  hatch.  The  wind  was  luirdly  strong  enough 
to  work  the  pump  steadily,  Ijut  still  it  did  some  good 
service.  The  engineer's  force  immediately  commenced 
the  construction  of  a  small  pump  of  spare  boiler  tubes, 
which  will  be  run  by  the  windmill  in  light  weather. 
The  men  having  completed  digging  out  the  trench 
afresh  were  occupied  in  various  works  about  the  ship, 


i  f  l; 


'  4 

1 


lilf 


I 


A 


I 

1 1 


\\  I 


!'! 


;  !,■  , 


y.\  .!■ 


I 


U 


352 


THE  V()YA(;e  of  the  JEANNETTE. 


particularly  in  cleaning  and  spreading  to  dry  seal  skins, 
in  readiness  for  soles  and  moccasins.  We  must  com- 
mence to  provide  for  our  necessities  of  next  winter  in 
that  direction,  for  the  amount  of  wear  and  tear  on  our 
moccasins  has  been  very  great  during  the  past  winter. 

3fm/  15///,  S(((H7'da>/.  —  Again  a  bear.  Mr.  Dunbar 
went  out  this  morning  to  examine  the  bear-traps,  and 
saw  indications  of  their  having  been  visited,  for  all  the 
bait  was  gone.,  i^nd  the  trap  turned  over  without  having 
been  sprung.  He  and  Alexey  and  Aneguin  followed 
on  the  track,  and  after  a  long  tramp  saw  two.  One 
got  out  of  range  too  quickly  for  a  shot,  but  the  other 
was  keeled  over  and  secured.  Strange  to  say,  it  took 
seven  bullets  to  do  the  work,  a  sort  of  running  fight 
and  firing  being  kept  up  for  two  hundred  yards  or 
more.  At  the  end  of  five  shots  the  bear  again  staor- 
gered  to  his  feet  and  was  making  off,  when  two  more 
bullets  finished  the  affray.  The  prize  was  a  she-bear, 
very  thiii  —  as  Mr.  Dunbar  rays,  "all  spars"  (/.  e.  all 
legs  and  neck),  having  evideiHly  been  nursing  a  cub 
for  some  time,  or  having  just  weaned  one.  Very  prob- 
ably it  was  the  full-grown  cub  that  got  out  of  range, 
leaving  his  mother  to  face  the  music.  Upon  being 
brought  in  and  cut  up,  it  was  found  that  four  of  the 
seven  shots  fired  had  penetrated  vital  parts,  that  is  to 
say,  had  injured  such  parts  as  would  infallibly  have 
caused  death  within  an  hour,  and  yet  the  bear  was 
ready  to  get  away  to  rough  ice,  and  thus  escape. 

In  the  afternoon  the  doctor  and  I  went  out  with  Mr. 
Dunbar  with  a  dog  team  to  bring  in  the  game,  and  I 
thus  h'dd  a  fine  chance  of  "  seeing  the  country."  Going 
out  S.  E.  a  mile  and  a  half  we  came  to  what  had  been 
an  opening,  but  was  now  covered  over  with  young  ice. 
Following  this  to  N.  E.  for  a  mile  or  so,  we  came  to  its 


II 


UNDER  THE  MIDNIGHT  SUN. 


353 


liue  to  its 


end,  and  then  striking  to  N.  W.  had  some  very  heavy 
traveling  until  we  struck  a  long  lead  of  young  ice,  ex- 
tending N.  E.  about  three  miles,  where  it  ended  at  very 
old  and  very  heavy  ice.  Leaving  this  we  doubled  l)aok 
S.  W.  to  the  ship.  One  has  need  only  to  make  such 
an  excursion  to  be  satisfied  of  the  still  greater  perils 
we  have  escaped  than  those  which  we  have  endured. 
Where  some  of  these  floe  edges  have  met  and  fought, 
rearing  themselves  fifteen  and  twenty  feet  in  the  air, 
no  ship  could  survive. 

Excellent  observations  to-day  place  us  in  latitude 
73°  13'  3"  N.,  longitude  178°  52'  45'  E.,  showing  a  drift 
since  yesterday  of  three  and  three  quarter  miles  to  N. 
T  W.  Besides  being  satisfactory  as  indicating  progress 
of  some  kind,  it  is  worthy  of  note  as  being  the  highest 
latitude  yet  attained  on  this  side  of  the  Arctic  Ocean 
(that  is  on  the  sea),  Collinson's  furthest  being,  I  be- 
lieve, 73°  ir.     And  yet  no  land. 

Sounded  at  noon  in  twenty-nine  fathoms.  Muddy 
bottom,  a  rapid  drift  to  N.  being  indicated  by  the  lead 
line.  This  is  caused  no  doubt  by  a  coming  southerly 
gale,  for  the  wind  to-day  is  S.  E.,  with  velocities  irom 
eight  to  eleven  miles,  and  there  seems  to  be  a  gen- 
erally unsettled  look  to  the  weather,  which  promises 
wind.  The  ice  seems  not  only  to  exert  a  deadening  ef- 
fect on  winds  when  they  reach  us,  but  actually  to  retard 
their  advance.  I  venture  to  say  we  have  never  had 
the  severity  of  a  storm  within  the  pack  that  has  pre- 
vailed on  its  borders.  Our  highest  anemometer  veloc- 
ity has  been  only  forty  miles,  and  it  seems  almost  in- 
credible that  one  should  pass  a  winter  in  the  Arctic 
Ocean  with  nothing  greater. 

May  IQth,  Sunday.  —  And  again  a  bear.     Mr.  Dun- 
bar went  out  with  the  natives  tliis  afternoon  to  visit 
38 


t.l 


'  1 

i  ii 

,. 

ir     :      . 

1- 

w  ^ 


1  i 


Iff 


354 


THE    VOYACa-:   OF   THE  JEAXNETTE. 


the  traps,  and  Hnuing  nothing  therein  concliule(T  to  go 
in  searcli  of  sonie  game  or  other.  After  some  little 
wandering  lie  espied  a  bear  some  distance  off,  advanc- 
ing toward  him.  Getting  down  behind  some  rough 
ice,  Mr.  Dunbar  and  Aneu-uin  held  the  doL'-s  down  and 
awaited  results.  After  some  backing  and  filling,  the 
bear  conchided  to  advance  in  their  direction,  which  he 
did  for  .some  distance  before  turning  off,  when  the  dogs 
were  let  ii;o,  and  brouuht  him  to  bav  until  Mr.  Dinibar 
got  a  bullet  into  him.  Then  began  a  time.  The  bear 
made  for  the  young  ice  and  open  water,  and  though 
shot  again,  managed  to  jump  in,  and  went  under.  lie 
swam  for  some  distance  uiider  water,  his  track  being 
indicjited  above  him  bv  the  rippling;  but  he  was  obliged 
to  come  up  for  air,  when  Dunbar  got  a  bullet  into  hi.s 
head,  which,  after  knocking  out  a  big  tooth,  lodged  in 
the  brain  and  settled  the  case.  To  get  the  prize  was 
now  in  order.  Dunbar  and  Aneguin  could  not  pull  the 
carca.ss  out  of  the  water,  though  the}'  had  a*  line  fast  to 
it  for  that  purpose.  So  leaving  Aneguin  to  hold  the 
bear,  which  required  all  his  strength,  Dunbar  chased 
around  until  he  came  across  other  hunting  parties, 
whose  men  he  pressed  for  service,  and  whose  dogs, 
aided  by  his  own,  brought  in  the  game  to  the  ship. 
Net  result,  live  hundred  pounds  additional  fresh  meat; 
head  and  skin  going  to  captor.  Another  male  speci- 
men, inclined  to  be  '•  all  spars,"  like  the  female  of 
yesterday.  Bears  are  becoming  so  common  now  that 
wc  feel  that  we  want  some  ducks  by  way  of  a  change. 
To-day  all  the  pumping  was  done  by  tJie  windmill. 
A  light  easterly  breeze  almost  died  out  in  veering  to  S. 
E.  at  four  a.  m.,  but  it  soon  sprang  up  again,  still  veer- 
ing to  S.  S.  E.  and  S.,  becoming  gradually  quite  fresh, 
until  at  midnight  it  was  blowing  at  a  velocity  of  nine- 


1  to  go 
Q  little 
lulvanc- 
roiiu;h 
\vn  and 
ing,  the 
hicli  he 
he  (logs 
Dunhar 
'ho  bear 
thoimli 
er.     He 
k  being 
;  obliu'eil 
into  his 
(dged  in 
ii-ize  Avas 
pidl  the 
0  fast  to 
lold  the 
ehased 
parties, 
<e  dogs, 
le  ship. 
1  meat ; 
speci- 
male  of 
ow  that 


;liange. 


ndniill. 
ng  to  S. 
ill  veer- 
;e  fresh, 
of  nine- 


UNDKK   Tin:  MIDNKJHT   SUN. 


O'J'J 


teen*  miles  an  hour,  wifh  some  verv  hard  squalls.  The 
windmill  could  not  begin  to  (ind  enough  work  to  do, 
the  bily-e  bein;::  kept  drv.  As  we  have  been  somewhat 
jinnoyed  with  u  smell  from  the  bilge  for  the  past  few 
days,  we  clean  bilges  in  a  rough  manner  to-day,  by 
opening  the  sea  cocks  and  letting  in  additional  water, 
stirring  np  the  mass  and  scrubbing  with  brooms,  the 
windmill  pumping  out  the  water  as  readily  as  we  could 
wish.  As  there  has  been  a  steady  inlet  of  water  and 
clear  How  since  January  10th,  one  would  imagine  that 
our  bilges  were  clean,  and,  as  far  as  clean,  bright  wood 
can  indicate,  thev  are.  Unless  there  is  some  chemical 
decomposition  of  the  sea  water,  or  some  decaying  ani- 
malcule, 1  am  unable  to  assign  the  cause  for  this  odor 
to  our  bilges,  and  even  if  it  is  from  one  of  the  two 
causes  above  nentioned,  1  am  unable  to  say  from 
which  one. 

At  ten  A.  M.  I  inspected  the  ship.  We  have  now 
three  on  the  sick  list, —  Danenhower,  as  usual,  Sweet- 
man,  with  neuralgia,  and  Ah  8am,  the  cook,  vith  a 
kind  of  intermittent  fever.  Sweetman  has  had  a  bad 
tooth  for  some  time,  and  the  doctor  has  been  nnable  to 
extract  it  because  of  its  being,  apparently,  interlaced  at 
the  roots;  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  the  neuralgia  is 
the  result  of  that  trouble.  Ah  Sam's  fever  may  have 
arisen  from  a  cold.  These  are  two  valuable  men,  and 
their  sickness  excites  our  warmest  sympathy  and  con- 
sideration. The  carpenter  work  may  stand  still,  but 
the  cooking  must  go  on.  In  this  emergency  the  stew- 
ard cahnly  does  his  own  work  and  the  cook's  too,  just 
as  naturally  as,  when  the  steward  was  sick,  the  cook 
performed  both  functions.  This  is  another  cause  of  my 
profound  admiration  for  this  race.  I  verily  believe 
that  either  or  both  of  them  would  undertake  any  duty, 


)  1 


!..■ 


350 


THE   VOYA(iE  OF  THE  JEANXETTE. 


t;H'i 


Ud:il 


i> 


i':-,i 


f.nd  master  its  details  in  so  short  a  period  that  their 
ignorance  would  not  have  time  to  become  apparent. 

To  satisfactorily  account  for  the  small  increase  over 
last  week's  consumption  of  coal,  2,910  pounds,  last 
week's  consumption  being  2,650,  1  may  here  mention 
that  t.havings,  splinters,  and  small  pieces  of  wood  are 
beginning  to  come  down  to  the  bunker  door  with  the 
coal,  and  are  consequently  shoveled  into  the  buckets 
as  fuel.  There  is  also  much  fine  dust  which  goes  to 
swell  the  weight.  As  it  all  burns,  however,  it  is  con- 
sidered as  so  much  coal,  and  so  weighed  and  served  out. 
Melville's  reasoning  is,  that  nothing  is  lost  by  such  an 
operation,  because,  he  says,  ''  We  know  that  all  that  is 
not  expended  is  in  the  bunker,  which  is  a  good  place." 
I  am  more  certain  that  we  have  more  coal  in  the  bun- 
kers to-day  than  the  books  call  for,  than  I  am  suspicious 
of  our  running  short. 

3Iai/  17th,  Mondai/.  —  One  more  day  come  and  gone, 
like  many  of  its  predecessors,  with  nothing  to  vary  the 
monotony  of  our  lives.  We  are  still  drifting  north,  but 
we  see  no  land  ;  and  though  we  have  had  occasionally 
a  water-sky  to  the  northward,  it  seems  to  go  before  us 
as  we  advance,  and  we  come  to  no  result.  Low  tem- 
peratures and  an  unbroken  ice-view  do  not  seiMn  to  in- 
dicate a  speedy  liberation,  bui.  there  is  always  comfort 
in  the  reflection  that  "  we  know  not  what  a  day  may 
bring  forth."  I  find  patience  to  be  an  admirable  qual- 
ity under  these  circumstances,  but  I  am  afraid  that 
patience  long  drawn  out  in  these  regions  generates 
dullness.  If  we  only  had  somethi:  g  to  do  that  would 
be  advancing  the  interests  of  che  expedition,  there 
would  be  some  excitement  in  the  life.  Hourly  meteor- 
ological observations  are  taker,  it  is  true,  and  the  ship's* 
position  daily  obtained  by  sights,  and  then  we  have  to 


hat  their 
iiirent. 
ease  over 
inds,  last 
I  mention 
wood  are 
with  the 
3  buckets 
1  goes  to 

it  its  con- 
jrved  out. 
y  such  an 
all  that  is 
3d  phice." 

the  bun- 
suspicious 

and  gone, 
vary  the 
lorth,  but 
isionally 
jefore  us 
lOW  teni- 
Mn  to  in- 
coniiort 
day  may 
3le  qual- 
aid  tliat 
generates 
at  would 
there 
meteor- 
he  ship's* 
have  to 


\n 


I 


LXDEi:  THE  MIDXKillT  SUN. 


357 


stop.  Magnetic  observations  of  any  value  are  impos- 
sible, because  ot"  our  ever-changing  positions.  Rough 
observations  for  the  variations  and  dip  are  obtained, 
but  they  will  serve  only  f'»r  convenient  approximate 
reference,  and  will  have  no  exact  scientific  importance. 
The  constant  change  of  position  prevents  any  correct 
pendulum  experiments  from  being  made.  No  astro- 
nomical observations,  except  determinations  of  latitude 
and  longitude,  with  sextant  and  artificial  horizon,  have 
been  possible,  because  the  erection  of  the  observatory 
and  the  mounting  of  the  instruments  on  the  ice.  in  our 
situation,  would  have  (»xposed  them  to  loss  should  a 
break-up  occur.  Soundings  are  made  daily,  and  speci- 
mens of  the  bottom  obtained  and  presi-rved  for  future 
reference.  Temperatures  of  the  surface  water  are  re- 
corded every  second  day  at  the  sounding  hole,  and  that 
exhausts  hydrography  for  us.  At  this  temperature  it 
is  not  practicable  to  add  water  cups  and  sea  thermome- 
ters to  our  lead  line,  for  it  ices  uj)  so  fast,  and  breaks  so 
readily  when  frozen,  that  we  might  lose  cups  and  ther- 
mometers. Natural  History  Is  well  looked  out  for. 
Any  animal  or  bird  that  comes  near  the  ship  does  so  at 
the  peril  of  its  life. 

So  far,  therefore,  as  is  possible,  we  do  all  that  we  can. 
People  who  have,  like  ourselves,  been  caught  in  the 
pack  have  been  able  to  do  no  more,  and  in  some  in- 
stances not  so  much. 

At  two  A.  M.,  in  a  sudden  squall,  one  of  the  wire  stays 
preventing  the  fans  of  the  windmill  from  spreading 
out  parted,  and  the  fans  spreading  out  came  against 
the  tripod,  bang,  bang,  breaking  two  of  them  short  oil' 
at  the  hub.  The  stay  of  the  other  two  held  on,  and 
with  the  wind  blowing  as  it  did,  these  two  did  all  the 
pumping,  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  Fortunately  the 
damage  can  be  repaired  without  much  trouble. 


i     [ 


III 


'Ufi: 


h" 


si 


*iii 


358 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNE  ITE. 


II  I' 


'<({>'   'i 


i 


li'i 


Si 


I 


The  carpenters  have  been  engaged  in  making  long 
runners  lor  tiie  keels  ol  our  large  boats,  in  case  we 
have  to  drag  them  over  the  ice  in  any  mishap,  while 
work  still  progresses  on  the  small  boiler  tube-pum}). 

M((i/  18//<,  l)((X(hiy. —  1  went  out  this  afternoon  ac- 
companied by  Melville  and  Dunbar  with  a  dog  team, 
and  striking  the  young  ice  about  two  miles  N.  E.  ol"  the 
ship,  followed  it  to  the  westward  as  it  ran  for  some  three 
miles.  1  could  have  gone  further,  and  would  have  done 
so  but  for  my  desire  to  get  back  in  time  for  my  sights 
at  5.o0.  As  a  specimen  of  Arctic  scenery,  the  ice  we 
met  was  very  fine.  The  young  ice  covered  an  opening 
which  was  about  two  hundred  yards  in  width,  and  in 
places  live  hundred  yards.  Towards  the  centre  and 
along  it  ran  a  crack  here  and  there,  widening  to  a  foot. 
Occasionally  pools  and  lanes  were  met,  the  rippling  of 
the  water  being  a  sight  pleasing  to  the  eyes  after  our 
lonji  look  at  its  frozen  condition.  On  each  side  of  this 
long  avenue  the  pack  of  old  ice  stood  piled  up  in  ir- 
regular masses  twenty  and  thirty  feet  in  height,  where 
great  pressures  had  occurred.  (A  month  ago  there  was 
no  opening.)  The  thickest  single  lioeberg  I  saw  w^as 
not  more  than  eight  feet  —  other  pieces  twelve  and 
fifteen  feet  in  thickness,  showing,  upon  examination, 
lines  of  strata  where  one  had  overridden  the  other.  To 
the  southward  of  the  avenue,  beyond  the  wall  of  ruins 
lining  its  edge,  w'e  could  see  a  long  plain  several  miles 
in  extent,  seemingly  smooth  ice,  but  as  Mr.  Dunbar  had 
previously  attempted  to  get  to  the  ship  by  crossing  it, 
he  knew  that  it  abounded  in  traps  and  pit-falls,  where 
one  would  unexpectedly  flounder  and  sink  to  his  arm- 
pits. To  the  northward  the  ice  was  of  the  same  hilly 
and  broken  character  as  the  wall,  and  I  am  convinced 
that  a  sled  could  no  more  be  dragged  any  considerable 


UNDKl!    IIIE   MIDXKMII"   SUN'. 


350 


king'  long 

II  Ciise  we 

lap,  while 

puni]). 

•rnoon  ac- 

(log  toani, 

.  E.  oi"  the 

onie  three 

liave  (lone 

my  sights 

he  ice  we 

II  opening 

;h,  and  in 

jntre  and 

to  a  foot. 

ippling  of 

after  our 

lie  of  this 

up  in  ir- 

lit,  where 

there  was 

saw  was 

elve  and 

nination, 

Hier.    To 

of  ruins 

ral  miles 

nbar  had 

ossing  it, 

s,  whore 

lis  arni- 

me  hilly 

mvinced 

iderable 


distance  in  that  direction  (or,  in  fact,  upon  mature  de- 
liberation, in  any  direction),  than  it  could  be  ih-agged 
across  the  house-tops  of  New  York  in  an  attem[)t  to  go 
to  Harlem  from  the  Battery.  Whether  these  rt'liec- 
tions  are  going  on  in  the  minds  of  others  I  do  not  know, 
for  in  any  case  they  are  not  expressed,  or  any  indica- 
tion given  of  their  being  entertained.  All  on.-  (bseus- 
sions.  or  rather  conversations,  for  we  do  not  discuss, 
include  the  ship  as  a  prime  factor  in  redu(;iug  any 
Arctic  ecpiation  to  its  sinn)lest  form.  Our  chief  dilli- 
culty  of  reduction  lies  in  the  fact  that  there  are  so 
many  unknown  fpismtities.  Excellent  observations  to- 
day place  the  ship  To'  28'  19"  N.,  and  longitude  178' 
51'  45"  E.,  showing  a  drift  of  2i  miles  N.  10'  E.  This 
is  curious,  because  we  have  had  an  almost  steady  south- 
erly wind  dvu'ing  the  preceding  twenty-four  hours;  with 
easting  in  any  change  from  true  S.,  in  consecjuence,  we 
should  have  gone  to  the  northward  and  westward,  in- 
stead of  to  the  northward  and  eastward.  It  may  be 
that  our  field  in  passing  along  some  heavii^r  field  (or. 
perhaps,  land)  has  been  shunted  off  by  the  resistance 
offered.  Theory  as  to  our  movement  is  long  since 
abandoned  in  my  mind,  giving  way  to  facts  based  on 
experience.  Theory  may  assert  how  we  ought  to  drift, 
but  our  position  from  day  to  day  shows  how  we  do 
drift,  and  I  accept  the  situation. 

May  2Qth,  Thursday.  —  Oh  for  warm  weather  I  Onl}- 
sixty  tons  of  coal  left,  and  the  sunnner  work  yet  to  be 
done,  with  reference  to  next  winter's  warming,  and 
pumping,  raid  our  cooking  going  on  all  the  time.  To 
put  out  all  fires  with  the  present  low  temperature  is 
only  to  invite  cold  and  sickness.  To  have  come  so  far 
and  accomplished  nothing  is  very  trying.  If  our  ship 
were  tight,  all  would  be  easier  planned.     But  with  an 


.  '• 

. 

( 

■ 

i       ' 
i      ii 

;  i 

. 

:  1 

! 

,!■! 

:- 


h\ 


I   :^l 


360 


IIIK   VnYA(iK  (H'  TIIK  JK ANNETTE. 


I  M 


1. 


If 


injmvd  ship  1  sliall  luive  to  be  caroful  liow  I  iiaiidlo 
her  lest  I  jeopard i/e  all  hands.  Something  must  be 
done,  for  we  eannot  rest  content  with  a  blank  score  ; 
and  with  ( Jod's  grace  1  will  try  to  make  some  record  to 
which  I  can  look  back  with  at  least  no  regret  or  morti- 
fication. It  is  terrible  to  me  to  contemplate  that  the 
Jeannettu  has  traveled  so  manv  thousand  miles  uiider 
my  connuand  only  to  overwhelm  me  with  confusion  at 
the  end.  How  can  1  meet  her  godmother  with  such  a 
meagre  description  of  her  doings  ! 

The  bright  weather  we  are  having  is  very  cheerip,g. 
An  uninterrupted  sunlight  the  whole  twenty-four  hours 
is  a  great  treat,  and  would  be  fully  appreciated  if  we 
could  oidy  avail  ourselves  of  it  in  carrying  the  ship  fur- 
ther N.  in  open  water.  Every  day  parties  are  out  on 
the  hunt,  and  I  iind  that  there  is  more  or  less  ct)mplaint 
about  soreness  of  the  L'yi^t*.  My  stringent  order  about 
wearing  snow-glasses  whenever  more  than  two  hundred 
yards  from  the  shi})  seems  to  be  laithfully  obeyed,  and 
I  have  no  doubt  that  their  use,  though  not  an  infallible 
way  of  avoiding  snow  blindness,  will  nevertheless  so 
mitigate  the  severity  of  the  complaint  o  to  prevent  any 
one  being  laid  up. 

Our  two  invalids,  Sweetman  and  Ah  Sam,  are  back 
on  duty  again.  By  doing  all  the  carpenter  work  in  the 
deck-house,  protected  from  exposure,  I  think  Sweetman 
will  not  again  be  troubled  with  neuralgia.  Ah  Sam's 
complaint  (intermittent  fever)  i.s  an  old  friend  of  his,  for 
it  appears  that  he  was  afllicted  with  it  in  China. 

Mai/  2\st,  Friday.  —  Another  bear.  Mr.  Dunbar  and 
the  two  natives  started  off  this  morning  on  their  regu- 
lar visit  to  the  traps,  and  finding  nothing  in  them  went 
on  a  cruise.  When  about  five  miles  northward  from 
the  ship  they  sighted  Bruin,  and  set  the  dogs  on  him  to 


•<«».*-*.. 


m 


U\I»Kll    rilK   MIDXHWIT  SUN. 


301 


I  li.'inclle 

miiHt  bo 

Ilk  sooro ; 

record  to 

or  iiiorti- 

tliiit  the 

los  uiuler 

nfusiuii  at 

til  such  a 

oliooriny;. 
our  hours 
tod  if  we 

ship  iur- 
'o  out  on 
poinphiint 
dor  about 

huudred 
'yod,  and 

infallible 
lioloss  so 

vont  any 

[ire  back 
k  in  the 

weetnian 
I  Sam's 
"  his,  for 

ibar  and 
ir  regu- 
m  went 
I'd  from 
I  him  to 


hold  him  at  hay.  Gottinii;  within  rnnjj:o  they  dolivored 
a  volk'V.  all  throe  buUots  hittiuir  and  tumbliu''-  the  boar 
over.  Jumping  to  his  foot  again  ho  singlod  out  a  dog, 
and,  blooding  as  ho  was.  ohargod  him  (iorcoly  ;  but  Dun- 
bar and  Aloxoy  agr.in  1'"^;';  and  linishod  him.  The  vic- 
tors thou  brought  in  the  skin  and  head  attached.  Hav- 
ing hoard  mo  say  some  days  ago  that  I  would  like  a 
nice  head  and  skin  for  Mr.  IJonnott,  Mr.  Dunbar  goiior- 
ously  prosontod  mo  his  trophy  for  th<it  punioso,  ami 
immodiatoly  connnoncod  cleaning  and  preparin.;,  "f.  1 
design  this,  the  most  beautiful  head  and  skin  wo  have 
yet  got,  as  a  present  for  Mr.  IJonnett  (if  i'  .)rovo.s  ac-' 
coptablo  to  bim)  from  Mr.  Dunbar. 

The  wmdiiiili,  being  again  in  repair,  goes  to  work  and 
dov  -  all  the  pumi)ing. 

Took  down  our  cpiartor  deck  awning  to-day,  lotting 
in  a  flootl  of  sunlight  to  the  cabin  and  my  room  that 
was  as  pretty  as  a  picture.  At  miilnight  a  largo  tlock 
of  fowl,  probably  wild  goose.  Hying  from  S.  K.  to  N.  W., 
crossed  the  stern  of  the  shi})  within  sight  but  not  within 


range. 


J/^/y  22</,  Satnrddii.  —  Thi.s  morning  Melville  and 
myself,  accompanied  by  Anoguin,  took  a  team  of  eigh- 
teen (h)gs  and  wont  out  to  bring  in  the  bear  killed  yes- 
terday. Upon  reaching  the  young  ice  and  proceeding 
along  it  for  a  mile,  wo  found  it  had  opened  so  much  as 
to  make  us  take  to  the  rough  ice  for  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  to  avoid  it.  Reaching  the  boar,  wo  soon  had 
him  loaded  on  the  sled  and  started  back.  So  thin  was 
the  young  ice,  that  the  weight  (425  pounds)  of  the 
cleaned  and  dressed  carcass  added  t(  our  weights  caused 
the  whole  surface  to  vibrato  more  than  on(M\  and  finally 
it  broke  under  us.  We  had  such  speed  on  at  the  time 
that  only  the  rear  end  of  the  sled  wont  through,  so  we 


\\ii 


I'M 


{    ! 


Iff 

¥A 

1' 

If 

i 

V' 

t 

hi. 


^»-! 


il 


? 


J:;'' 


302 


THE   V()iA(;K    OF    I  UK  JKANNKriK. 


escaped  a  duckliin-  and  tlio  probable  loss  of  the  meat. 
Keacliing  the  place  in  the  rough  ice  where  we  had  to 
turn  ofl",  we  had  n  tei-rible  time  in  stoi'e  lor  us.  With 
only  the  weight  ot  the  dead  bear  on  the  sled,  the 
coMd)ined  work  ot"  three  men  and  eighteen  dogs  con- 
sumed an  hour  in  getting  over  that  (piarter  mile.  The 
dogs  pulled  willingly  enough,  for  they  were  homeward 
bound  (and  1  notice  that  a  difference  of  one  hundred 
per  cent,  depends  on  that  fact),  and  resented  the  delay 
bv  howlinu;  and  surn'inu"  at  the  harness  until  1  thouo-ht 
the  drag-rope  would  part.  One  minute  the  sled  would 
be  on  one  side  of  an  uplifted  tloe  })iecc  and  the  dogs 
on  the  other,  with  a  .sharp  ridti'e  between.  When  bv 
.sheer  strength  we  had  ])ushed  it  up  and  over,  it  would 
plunge  down  the  other  side  and  stick  in  a  hole  heels  up. 
Then  we  had  to  dig  it  out  with  our  hands,  and  give  it 
another  start ;  then  it  would  fall,  one  runner  in  a  crack, 
and  so  on.  Eepeat  these  things  in  all  shapes  and  vari- 
eties and  they  will  give  a  faint  idea.  Sullice  it  to  say, 
that  at  the  end  of  the  hour  when  we  reached  smooth 
ice  again  we  were  streaming  with  perspiration  and  al- 
most exhausted. 

M(i>/  2-]<J.  Sunddij.  —  Another  week  has  come  and 
gone,  and  \vc  are  still  held  fast  in  our  icy  bed.  Some- 
■where  about  this  time  last  year  it  was  that  Cajitain  Bai- 
lev,  in  the  Rush,  was  blown  throu}i:h  Behring  Strait  in  a 
southeaster,  and  saw  no  ice  in  jmy  direction  within  his 
horizon.  We  arc  having  the  southeaster  again  this 
year,  but  we  can  see  no  water  in  any  direction  within 
our  horizon.  The  wind  seems  to  howl  viciously  through 
our  rigging,  although  it  gets  no  greater  velocity  than 
twenty-one  miles  an  hour  at  any  time  during  the  day, 
and  our  lead  line  shows  a  rapid  drift  to  N.  W.  through 
twenty-seven  fathoms  of  water. 


the   moat. 

we  liiid  to 

us.  With 
sled,    the 

(logs  coii- 
luile.  The 
hoiiU'\Viir(l 
e  himih-ed 
I  the  delay 
I  1  thought 
sled  would 
1   the  do^'s 

When  l)v 
r,  it  Avould 
e  heels  up. 
nd  give  it 
iu  a  ei'Mck, 

and  vari- 
}  it  to  say, 
I'd  smooth 
)ii  and  al- 

come  and 

1.  Some- 
itain  IJai- 
trait  in  a 

within  his 
^ain   this 

on  within 
througli 
city  than 
the  dny, 
through 


XI 

PI 

C 

z 

■n 
O 


en 
m 


1 
c 
z 


'f 


H' 


■tl 


It 


\  '  M 


■i  '  -i; 


I 


Hi  ii 


B^ia 


UNDER  THE  MIDNIGHT  SUN. 


305 


Inspected  the  ship  at  ten  a.  m.,  and  then  read  divine 
service  in  the  cabin.  Otherwise  the  day  passed  without 
any  eventful  occurrence.  While  the  wind  blows  so 
fresh,  and  to  prevent  future  accident,  two  of  the  wings 
of  the  windmill  have  been  removed,  and  we  find  that 
all  the  pumping  is  easily  done  by  the  two  remaining. 
While  it  was  undergoing  repairs,  the  tin  sails  were  so 
arranged  as  to  be  removable  at  will,  and  stay  bands  of 
flat  iron  were  substituted  for  the  wire  rods.  We  have 
now,  therefore,  a  more  perfect  and  at  the  same  time 
more  durable  machine. 

3Iay  2ith,  Mondat/.  —  A  disagreeable  discovery  was 
made  to-day,  which  will  be  more  or  less  serious  when 
we  have  ascertained  a  cause.  Three  little  streams  of 
water  were  found  running  into  the  shaft  alley  on  the 
starboard  side,  just  forward  of  where  the  line  of  the 
mizzen-mast  would  be  if  prolonged.  The  three  streams 
if  united  would  form  a  column  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
in  diameter.  As  no  pressure  has  been  experienced  since 
January  19th,  the  date  of  our  mishap,  it  is  difficult  to 
believe  that  it  is  caused  by  a  leak,  and  it  is  rather  too 
much  water  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  supposition  that 
the  accumulations  of  ice  among  the  frames  have  com- 
menced to  melt.  We  shall  have  to  await  further  devel- 
opments before  coming  to  a  conclusion,  and  meanwhile 
it  is  one  more  added  to  my  many  cares  and  anxieties. 

Observations  to-day  place  us  in  latitude  N.  73^  49' 
47",  longitude  E.  177"  40',  a  drift  of  nine  and  a  half 
miles  N.  55'  W.  since  yesterday.  We  are  beginning  to 
deepen  our  water  also,  getting  thirty  fathoms  to-day. 
1  am  somewhat  in  hopes  tliat  we  may  eventually  drift 
past  this  shallow  part  of  the  ocean,  and  roach  a  depth 
of  water  which  will  permit  a  breaking-up  of  the  ice, 
and  insure  our  liberation  in  time  to  accomplish  some- 
thing this  season. 


li 


I    I 


3GC 


THE   VOYAGE   OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


1    i 


v\\ 


,i 


I 


;     m 


l'      ^H 


U>       3V 


■i!!  ii 


Mr.  Dunbar  went  out  to-day  to  the  young  ice,  which 
he  found  had  opened  so  as  to  leave  a  channel  one  hun- 
dred yards  in  width.  Coming  back  over  the  heavy 
road  where  we  had  such  a  hard  time  with  the  sled  on 
Saturday,  he,  by  great  good  luck,  found  my  meerschaum 
pipe  which  I  had  lost  in  my  struggles,  and  only  missed 
when  it  was  too  late  to  look  for  it.  The  length  of  time 
I  have  had  the  pipe,  the  reputation  which  it  enjoys  of 
being  the  •'sweetest  pipe  in  the  navy,"  and  it  being  a 
present,  made  its  loss  an  aflliction,  and  my  sentiments 
of  gratitude  to  Mr.  Dunbiir  are  of  the  liveliest  kind. 

M((>/  2oth,  7\icsdu>j.  —  Careful  observation  of  the 
leak,  or  whatever  it  is,  mentioned  yesterday,  shows  no 
change.  The  same  amount  of  water  Hows,  and  as  mys- 
teriously as  to  its  cause  as  ever.  We  have  wind  enough 
to  drive  the  windmill  all  day,  and  therefore  have  no 
dilHculty  in  getting  rid  of  the  water.  I  think,  how- 
ever, the  southeaster  has  blown  itself  out. 

To-day's  log  is  headed,  ''  One  hundred  and  ninety 
miles  N.  W.  of  Herald  Island."  These  gradual  additions 
of  a  few  miles  each  day  have  gone  to  make  up  quite 
a  distance.  Since  the  1st  of  this  month  we  have  trone 
roughly  ninety  miles  to  the  N.  W.,  due  immistakably 
to  the  prevalence  of  S.  W.  winds,  but  nevertheless 
worthy  of  remark,  as  indicating  nearly  as  much  advance 
in  less  than  a  month  as  we  accomplished  during  eight 
months  previously.  From  this  I  augur  good  results,  for 
since  our  advance  was  prevented  during  the  winter,  be- 
cause at  that  time  the  massing  and  cementing  together 
of  ice  brought  everything  to  a  position  of  rest,  so  also 
is  oiir  progress  now  beginning  at  a  time  when  the  in- 
creasing temperature  will  naturally  bring  about  rup- 
tures and  disintegration. 

Alexey  shot  and   killed  a  young  bear  at  the  same 


i    i 


UNDER  THE  MIDNIGHT  SUN. 


367 


G,  which 
)ne  huii- 

0  heavy 
;  sled  on 
rschaiim 
y  missed 

1  of  time 
enjoys  of 
t  being  a 
iitiments 
t  kind. 

1   of    the 
sliows  no 
}  as  mys- 
d  enough 
have  no 
^nk,  how- 
ninety 
additions 
up  quite 
ave  gone 
•jtakably 
,'ertheless 
advance 
ing  eight 
suits,  for 
inter,  be- 
together 
^{,  so  also 
n  the  in- 
out  rup- 

the  same 


place  (about  five  miles  from  the  ship)  at  which  our  last 
one  was  killed.  This  is  the  first  young  bear  that  we 
have  had,  and  we  shall  no  doubt  find  his  tender  llesh 
quite  a  treat.  The  circumstances  of  the  capture  arc 
curious.  Alexey  had  taken  out  the  liver  of  the  last 
bear  upon  its  capture  and  left  it  on  the  ice.  The  young 
bear  had  taken  it  off  to  some  rough  ice,  and  while  hold- 
ing it  in  his  fore  pavvs  had  fallen  asleep,  in  which  condi- 
tion he  was  found  and  fell  a  prey  to  Alexey 's  ritle. 

3f(n/  2Qih,  Wednesday.  —  A  subsidence  of  the  winds 
to  light  airs  and  calms.  The  effect,  however,  has  been 
so  good  that  I  could  almost  wish  for  a  continuance  of 
the  wind  ;  for  since  the  noon  of  the  2 1st  it  has  drifted  us 
forty-two  miles  to  N.  W.  (roughly).  It  had  another  ef- 
fect. It  has  blown  so  much  snow  across  the  face  of  the 
floes  as  to  cut  them  like  a  sand-blast,  and  has  permitted 
the  direct  action  of  the  sun  on  the  surface,  so  that  in 
the  afternoon  there  are  signs  of  thawing  and  wasting. 
All  black  substances,  like  ashes  and  refuse,  sink  rapidly 
into  the  ice,  and  are  now  an  appreciable  distance  below 
the  surface ;  and  the  white  and  black  bulb  thermome- 
ters on  the  port  side  of  the  ship  siiow  respectively  to- 
day 70°  and  72°. 

May  27fh,  Thursday  —  The  boiler  tube-puinp  is  com- 
plet  nd  in  place,  and  it  works  to  a  charm.  We  have 
now  means  of  pumping  the  ship  by  the  windmill  in  all 
sorts  of  winds  :  from  four  to  ten  miles,  by  connecting 
the  boiler  tube-pump  ;  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles,  by  con- 
necting the  shifted  bilge-pump ;  and  above  fifteen  miles 
with  the  same  pump,  reducing  the  sail  surface.  The 
whole  subject  reflects  great  credit  on  Melville,  who 
designed,  and  Sweetman  and  Lee,  who  constructed,  re- 
spectively, the  wooden  and  iron  parts.  Our  "  windmill 
pumping  apparatus  "  is  worthy  of  being  handed  down 
to  posterity. 


It 


368 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


i':! 


'■? 


1       .' 


:<     W  ! 


.^::  ii. 


The  Baxter  boiler  is  now  used  exclusively  for  distil- 
ling. As  the  temperature  of  the  air  now  is  at  such 
comfortable  heights,  more  heat  is  radiated  in  the  en- 
gine-room than  is  needed  to  make  the  man  on  watch 
comfortable,  and  Melville  proposes  to  have  the  coil  for- 
ward on  the  berth  deck  to  heat  that  deck  instead  of 
using  a  stove.  The  idea  is  an  excellent  one,  and  it  only 
remains  to  be  seen  whether  we  can  put  it  into  practical 
execution.  So  anxious  are  we  becoming  on  the  ques- 
tion of  fuel,  that  we  commenced  yesterday  going  with- 
out a  fire  in  the  cabin  and  berth  deck  from  nine  A.  M. 
to  five  P.  M.,  and  we  find  that  we  are  not  so  very  mi- 
comfortable.  The  heat  remains  in  the  cabin  for  several 
hours  after  the  fire  goes  out,  keeping  up  a  temperature 
above  40°,  and  as  we  are  always  out  knocking  around 
on  deck,  or  on  the  ice,  where  the  temperature  is  pleas- 
ant enough  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  we  find  we  can 
very  well  dispense  with  fire  until  supper  time. 

The  amount  of  water  leaking  into  the  shaft  alley 
seems  to  have  diminished,  and  I  am  more  inclined  to 
think  that  it  (the  leak)  was  only  the  melting  of  the  ice 
accumulations  among  the  frames. 

3Iay  2Sth,  Friday.  —  An  uneventful  day.  We  are 
at  a  stand-still,  and  must  wait  for  the  development  of 
some  strong  wind  to  shove  us  along  again. 

3Iay  29th,  Saturday.  —  One  more  day  nearer  the  end 
of  May,  and  I  hope  one  day  nearer  the  end  of  our  im- 
prisonment. A  gloomy  and  dull  day  makes  one  moody 
and  dispirited  under  these  circumstances.  If  our  lati- 
tude were  only  84°  instead  of  74°,  I  don't  think  any- 
body would  mind  the  weather,  but  we  make  a  very 
poor  showing  for  one  season's  work.  However,  the 
darkest  hour  is  just  before  the  dawn,  and  who  knows 
how  bright  our  dawn  may  oe  when  it  comes.     In  the 


Ul, 


UNDER  THE  MIDNIGHT   SUN. 


369 


for  distil- 
s  at  such 
n  the  en- 

on  watch 
le  coil  for- 

instead  of 
iiid  it  only 

0  practical 

1  the  ques- 
roing  with- 
L  nine  A.  M. 
50  very  un- 

for  several 
emperature 
ins  around 
ire  is  pleas- 
find  we  can 
le. 

shaft  alley 
inclined  to 
of  the  ice 

.     We  are 
llopninnt  of 

i-er  the  end 
of  our  im- 
lone  moody 
llf  our  lati- 
Ithink  any- 
Ike  a  very 
Ivvever,  the 
irho  knows 
fcs.     In  the 


t 


hope  that  we  might  bring  her  further  up  by  the  head 


dien  the 


relef 


d 


h 


float, 


iases  tne  siiip  and  permits 
the  bower  chains  were  unbent  to-day  and  stowed  in  the 
lockers. 

J^Iay  ^Qth,  Sunday.  —  By  ob.servation  to-day  I  find 
we  are  in  latitude  N.  74°  5'  27",  longitude  177°  E., 
showing  a  drift  since  the  28th  of  three  miles  to  N.  11° 
E.  We  have  evidently  gotten  under  way  again,  though 
for  some  reason  we  are  prevented  from  going  to  tlie 
westward,  perhaps  by  a  heavy  barrier  of  ice,  against 
which  our  field  is  slowly  grinding  along.  I  have  had 
an  idea  that  our  drift  of  late  may  be  explained  in  some 
such  manner  ;  our  field  turning  on  a  pivot  as  it  ad- 
vances, and  eventually  bringing  us  to  its  highest  point, 
will  throw  us  off'  to  the  eastward.  The  north wostini; 
having  been  accomplished  we  are  now  doing  our  north- 
ing, and  then  going  to  N.  E.  will  eventually  be  carried 
along  E.  by  the  current  which  sets  E.  through  the 
Archipelago  N.  of  the  American  Continent.  Time  will 
show  the  fallacy  or  the  truth  of  this  supposition ;  but 
meanwhile  it  affords  a  subject  for  contemplation. 

The  usual  Sunday  inspection  and  divine  service. 
The  high  temperature  being  promising,  1  have  directed 
that  during  the  coming  week  the  deck-house  be  taken 
down,  the  steam -cutter  restowed,  and  the  sleds  dis- 
mounted. Our  new  arrangements  for  summer  will  be 
mentioned  later  on. 

A  very  gratifying  reduction  in  the  coal  expenditure 
has  resulted  from  our  doing  partially  without  fire. 

3fay  olst,  Monday. — The  last  day  of  spring,  and 

then  we  shall  have  summer  before  us.     Let  us  hope 

that  with  spring  may  end  all  trials  and  tribulations,  and 

that  we  shall  now  start  forward  to  the  accomplishment 

of  some  purpose.     Our  observations  to-day  are  encour- 
24 


Ml 


Hi 


^  II 


!<; 


4  ' 


15 


11' 


370 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


aging,  for  we  are  four  miles  north  of  yesterday,  show- 
ing a  tendency  to  go  east  a  little,  while  going  north 
more.  The  carpenters  finished  the  keel  runners  for  the 
boats,  and  Lee  made  bolts  for  them  for  securing. 

Af^er  all  we  have  no  reason  to  complain  of  our 
progress  during  the  past  month.  Our  total  drift  has 
amounted  to  one  hundred  miles,  and  we  have  made 
good  eighty-two  miles  to  N.  38°  W.  Our  average 
temperature  has  been  18.4G°,  and  though  we  have  had 
it  as  low  as  minus  8.5°,  we  have  on  the  other  hand  had 
it  as  high  as  35°. 


fl 


ly,  show- 
lo;  nortli 
•s  for  the 

1  of  onr 
<lrift  has 
,ve  made 
average 
have  had 
hand  had 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A   FROZEN    SUMMER. 

June — August,  1880. 

Which  Wiiv  does  the  Tec  go? — Appearance  of  Insanity.  —  A  Fall  of 
Rain.  —  Danenliower's  Case. —  Had  Walking.  —  Mosquitoes.  —  A 
Diiy's  Record. —  Lanes  of  Water.  —  Tiie  First  Punishment. — 
Stoppage  of  the  Leak.  —  Melting  of  the  Surrounding  Ice.  —  Tlie 
Ship  in  an  Island  of  Ice.  —  Thickness  of  Ice.  —  Punisliment  of 
Dogs. —  Irksomeness  of  Confinement. —  Accident  to  Alexey. — 
Tiie  Height  of  Summer  and  the  Depth  of  Discouragement.  —  The 
Resolution  of  the  Company.  —  Fog  and  its  Effect  on  Ice.  —  Specu- 
lations on  Arctic  Ice.  —  Studies  of  Sea-Water  Ice.  —  Tests  applied. 
—  Sudden  Encounter  with  a  Bear.  —  Getting  at  tiie  Propeller.  — 
A  Party  of  Bears.  —  Crimson  Suow.  —  A  Hopeless  Outlook. 

June  ls<,  Tuesday. — The  first  day  of  summer  —  and 
a  gloomy  and  disagreeable  one  at  that.  Occasional 
thick  fog  prevailed,  and  a  frequent  fall  of  light  snow 
added  to  the  general  cheerfulness  !  Sounded  at  noon 
in  thirty-three  and  one  half  fathoms,  muddy  bottom 
of  course,  and  the  lead  line  showed  a  drift  to  N.  N.  W. 
Commenced  hauling  the  dredge  again,  obtaining  this 
time  a  few^  shells  and  shrimps. 

June  2d,  Wednesday.  —  A  lovely  summer  day  !  A 
gale  of  wind  and  a  snow-storm.  This  gale  must  have 
been  severe  on  the  edge  of  the  floe,  wherever  it  may 
be,  for  as  the  ice  exerts  a  deadening  effect  on  the  wii  d, 
we  did  not  have,  of  course,  the  full  weight  of  it.  Tie 
snow  was  driven  in  clouds  almost  horizontally.     It  wi  9, 


m^ 


372 


THE  VOYAGK  OF  THE  JEANXETTE. 


i'    ( 


! 


I 


ir 


however,  very  soft  and  mushy,  melting  almost  as  soon 
as  it  fell,  so  our  water  supply  will  not  be  benefited. 

Although  the  surface  of  our  iloe  is  soft  and  mushy, 
and  we  can  see  it  waste  away,  and  though  the  water  is 
all  around  our  ditch,  we  seem  to  be  no  nearer  libera- 
tion. The  ice  at  the  sounding  hole  is  yet  forty-eight 
inches  thick,  and  the  body  of  the  ship  seems  to  be  held 
firmly  by  ice  which  does  not  thaw,  with  such  a  layer  of 
water  on  top  of  it  as  our  ditch  shows.  That  waste  does 
occur  to  the  surface  of  the  Hoe  is  evident,  not  only 
from  the  sinking  of  ashes  and  dirt,  but  from  the  ap- 
pearance again  on  the  surface  of  objects  which  were 
long  since  buried.  This  seems  to  afford  the  dogs  great 
satisfaction,  for  they  occasionally  unearth  things  which 
they  buried  months  ago,  and  thus  lost,  which  they  now 
find  to  enjoy  to  their  hearts'  content. 

Jane  M,  Thursday.  —  The  gale  has  blown  itself  out, 
leaving  us  generally  clear  and  pleasant  weather.  Since 
May  31st  we  hav  advanced  only  nine  miles  to  N.  27° 
E.,  or  about  three  miles  a  day.  Evidently  the  ice  to 
the  northward  of  us  has  no  tendency  to  give  way  as 
yet,  and  we  accordingly  have  cushioned  off  to  the  east- 
ward. Now  it  is  a  very  interesting  problem  (and  we 
may  have  the  good  fortune  to  solve  it)  which  way  this 
ice  goes,  whether  east  or  west,  in  the  course  of  its  path 
to  an  outlet.  That  it  does  not  steadily  set  south  and 
find  an  outlet  through  Behring  Strait  is  proved  by  our 
drift  N.  W.,  and  the  fact  that  but  little  ice  comparatively 
is  met  in  Behring  Sea  in  spring  and  none  in  sununer. 
That  it  is  not  wasted  entirely  by  solar  heat  is  also  evi- 
dent. If  it  did  not  go  somewhere,  the  accumulation  of 
years  would  by  this  time  have  closed  the  Strait  alto- 
gether. That  it  goes  north  is  doubtful,  because,  prob- 
ably, north  of  the  85th  parallel  the  ice  never  breaks  up 


m 


A  FROZEN   SUMMER. 


373 


ns  soon 
ited. 

mushy, 

water  is 
3r  libera- 
rty-eight 
a  be  held 
I  hiyer  of 
aste  does 

not  only 
1  the  ap- 
lich  were 
logs  great 
ngs  which 

they  now 

itself  out, 
er.    tSince 
to  N.  27° 
;he  ice  to 
e  way  as 
the  east- 
(and  we 
way  this 
»f  its  path 
south  and 
led  by  our 
aratively 
|i  sununer. 
also  evi- 
ulation  of 
trait  alto- 
use,  prob- 
breaks  up 


enough  to  permit  navigation.  Hence  it  must  go  either 
east  or  west.  To  go  east  is  in  accordance  with  the  earth's 
rotation  and  complies  with  theory,  while  in  fact  the  Res- 
olute drifted  east  through  Barrow  Strait  out  into  Davis 
Strait.  To  go  west  is  contrary  to  hypotheses  based  on 
the  rotation  of  the  earth  and  the  supposed  direction  of 
equatorial  currents  ;  but  we  have  gone  N.  W.  by  the 
prolonged  action  and  force  of  S.  E.  winds.  Therefore 
the  wind  may  overpower  the  attraction  of  rotation,  and 
set  the  ice  in  this  ocean  so  far  to  the  westward  as  to 
bring  it  within  the  influence  of  the  Polar  current  about 
Spitzbergen,  and  discharge  it  thus  into  the  Atlantic. 
Or  we  may  in  time,  in  accordance  with  my  theory, 
pass  from  the  region  of  S.  E.  winds  to  a  region  of 
N.  W.  winds,  when,  from  their  prevalence,  they  have 
generated  an  easterly  set,  which,  encouraged  as  it  Avere 
and  accelerated  by  the  motion  of  rotation  above  re- 
ferred to,  may  cai.y  the  ice  to  the  eastward  through 
the  Archipelago,  and  cause  it  to  mingle  with  the  Polar 
current  known  to  be  setting  south  through  Smith 
Sound  and  Davis  Strait,  and  so  on  to  the  Atlantic.  As 
to  there  being  any  warm  current  reaching  to  a  high 
latitude,  I  very  much  doubt.  We  have  found  none  ; 
and  I  am  inclined  to  agree  with  Lieutenant  Weyprecht 
when  he  says,  "  The  Gulf  Stream  does  not  regulate  the 
limits  of  the  ice,  but  the  ice,  set  in  motion  by  winds, 
regulates  the  limits  of  the  warmer  Gulf  Stream  water, 
depriving  the  same  of  the  last  degrees  of  heat  which  it 
contains ;  "  and  I  pronounce  a  therraometric  gate-way 
to  the  Pole  a  delusion  and  a  snare.  Of  course  if  any 
warm  current  came  through  Behring  Strait  it  would  be 
the  Kuro  Siwo,  and  our  sea  temperatures  indicated  no 
such  fact. 

June  ith,  Friday.  —  A  very  unpleasant  report  was 


■ii 


wm 


i 


•    ! 


; 


1 


i 


374 


Tin:   VOYAGK   OF   TIIK  .lEAXNinTK. 


iMiiilc  to  iiu'  \)y  till'  doctor.  luiiiielv,  thut  Nolso  Ivorscn, 
I'oal-ht'iivor,  was  troinhliii^  on  the  border  ol"  insiinity: 
tliis  was  as  iiiio.\j)ected  as  it  was  astoimdiiij;'.  Tin? 
mail  all  aloii^  had  been  lni«ilit  and  eheerliil,  and  dis- 
|)t)sed  to  be  active  in  his  habits  us  well  as  attentive  to 
his  duty.  For  a  day  or  two  he  has  received  medicine 
for  constipation,  and  in  his  conversations  with  the  doc- 
tor betrayed  more  nervousness  and  anxiety  and  jjjen- 
eral  <]isquiet  than  such  a  disorder  should  have  «;iven 
rise  to.  'Ibis  morning",  however,  on  present iiiu;  himselt' 
ut  nine  o'clock,  he  was  very  hysterical  and  nervous,  in- 
lormiiiy;  the  doctor  in  all  si>riousness  that  he  was  beinj' 
watched,  and  that  a  mutiny  was  on  loot  among  the 
men;  that  he  had  been  apj)roached  on  the  sul)ject,  anci 
asked  what  he  wtndd  do  in  such  a  case,  etc.  Jieing 
closely  plied  with  questions  he  burst  into  tears  and  be- 
came quite  incoherent,  uoiiii^  on  with  all  sorts  ot"  rij:^- 
marole.  lie  mentioned  Sharvell,  another  coal-heaver, 
as  one  who  had  api)roached  him  on  the  subject  ot"  mu- 
tiny. This  Sharvell  is  a  mere  lad,  who  would  no  more 
be  suspected  by  me  or  any  one  else  in  the  ship  than  a 
child.  This  is  a  serious  case,  and  I  can  but  hope  that 
time  will  alleviate  the  disorder.  But  at  best  Ivcrsen 
will  always  be  more  or  less  doubtful,  and,  of  course,  ut- 
terly unlit  for  any  respensibility.  First  .  blind  olHcer, 
and  now  a  cra/v  man-  these  will  be  serious  charn-es 
on  niv  mind  in  anv  em^  wncies.  Observations  to-dav 
reveal  the  unpleasant  fat  that  we  are  going  backward, 
showing  a  drift  of  three  liles  to  8.  34°  E.  This  is  not 
at  all  pleasant.  Motion  )nward  was  pleasant  enough, 
but  we  cannot  say  the  same  for  motion  backward. 

At  work  all  day  in  stowing  away  against  the  bul- 
wark the  deck-house  planking  and  frame,  in  rearrang- 
ing our  deck  load  of  provisions,  in  unpacking  our  sleds, 


A    FROZEN  SUMMKU. 


375 


c  Ivorson, 
insjinilv  : 

• 

in<^.     Tin? 

1,  Mild  (lis- 

tonlive  to 

nuMlicino 

li  tlio  (loc- 

aiid  ^on- 

avo  «;iviMi 

1^  hiinsoll' 

Mvons,  iii- 

^viis  boini^ 

inotijjf  tlic* 

bjoct,  and 

0.     Boiii^- 

rs  and  bo- 

•trt  ol"  rii;-- 

d-heavcM', 

;t  ol"  nm- 

no  more 

ip  than  a 

io]io  tliat 

t  Ivcrsen 

ouiso,  ut- 

1(1  ollieor, 

s  fhai'ge.s 

►ns  to-tlay 

ackward, 

his  is  not 

t  enougl), 

ird. 

the  bul- 
rearraiiij^- 
our  sleds, 


st()win<^  the  provisions  and  dog  food  they  contained  in 
tiie  stoain-cntter,  and  in  general  cleaning  nj  around 
ship.  \Vc  are  gradually  resuming  ship-shape  propor- 
tions, and  shall  soon  be  ready  lor  a  start  norfhwurd  aiul 
eastward,  or  northward  and  westward,  whichever  the 
ice  and  winds  will  perndt,  lor,  alas,  our  eoal-[)ile  is  too 
snuill  to  think  ol"  doing  any  stejuuing  except  in  a  great 


emergency 


The  thermometer  beginning  iit  2^)'  reaches  o7'  by 
six  I'  M.  and  closes  at  -jO'.  \  ery  pleasant  and  agiee- 
able,  thus  enabling  us  to  be  indilTerent  to  having  no 
lire  in  the  stove. 

June  bth,  Saturdaij.  —  A  day  ol"  no  remarkable  event, 
except  that  my  observations  for  position  reveal  the  un- 
pleasant fact  that  we  have  been  set  back  S.  one  half 
W.  four  and  a  half  miles.  This  is  due,  of  course,  to 
the  northerly  winds  prevailing  (luring  the  preceding 
twenty-four  hours.  Some  little  encouragement  can  be 
drawn  from  the  belief  that  our  jirompt  changes  of  j)osi- 
tion,  in  compliance  with  change  of  wind,  indicate  a 
generally  looser  state  of  the  ice  than  has  been  supposed 
hitherto.  1  am  ho|)ing  strongly  day  after  day  for  some 
indication  of  a  coming  liberation,  but  though  we  have 
nearly  daily  a  tempting  water-sky  in  some  direction  or 
other,  no  change  yet  comes.  Chipp  has  his  hands  full 
in  getting  things  into  shape,  but  evei-ything  is  [)rogress- 
ing  favorably,  our  decks  are  ra[)idly  dealing,  and  we 
are  surely  approachiug  the  time  when  nothing  wiH  re- 
main but  to  hang  the  rudder  and  make  sail  when  the 
ice  gives  us  a  chance  to  head  toward  some  satisfactory 
result  of  our  Arctic  cruise. 

June  (Jth,  Sunday.  —  In  my  sanguine  moments  dur- 
ing the  winter  I  used  to  hope  for  a  liberation  and  con- 
sequent advance  in  May,  but  here  we  are  in  June  and 


.  !:f 


m'i 


\  u  I 


W 


376 


THE  VOfAGE   OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


everything  frozen  as  hard  as  ever.  However,  Nil  des- 
j^erandum  ! 

At  ten  A.  M.,  just  as  we  were  going  to  call  all  hands 
to  muster,  a  fall  of  rain  compelled  us  to  wait.  It  was 
a  pleasure  to  see  it,  and  a  positive  luxury  to  hear  it 
pattering  on  the  poop  over  our  heads.  It  lasted  but  a 
few  moments,  unfortunately  for  us,  because  rain  will 
do  an  immense  amount  toward  thinning  out  the  ice. 

I  inspected  the  ship,  however,  as  usual,  and  found 
everything  wonderfully  neat  and  trim.  We  are  quite 
clear  enough  to  work  the  ship,  as  far  as  the  spar  deck 
is  concerned  ;  and  it  will  be  a  subject  for  experiment 
whether,  when  she  floats  again,  her  trim  so  much  by 
the  stern  will  let  her  be  handled  under  sail. 

At  one  we  had  the  general  nusterand  read  the  Arti- 
cles of  War,  and  following  this  I  read  divine  service  in 
the  cabin.  We  are  almost  down  to  our  minimum  ex- 
penditure of  coal,  —  1,425  pounds  for  the  past  week. 

June  7th,  Monday.  —  To-day  our  observations  for  po- 
sition have  produced  a  somewhat  discouraging  effect 
upon  me.  The  wind  having  prevailed  from  the  north- 
ward and  westward,  I  was  prepared  for,  and  anticipated, 
being  set  to  the  southward  and  eastward,  perhaps  S.  E. ; 
but  to  my  disgust  my  sights  (latitude  74''  4' 37"  N.,  lon- 
gitude 177°  27'  E.)  showed  that  we  have  been  set 
seven  and  three  quarters  miles  to  S.  seven  degrees  W. 
Seven  and  three  quarters  miles  of  our  hard  fought  drift 
gone  in  a  day.  Had  we  gone  east  I  would  not  have 
minded  it,  for  we  alwiays  have  something  in  that  direc- 
tion ;  but  to  go  any  further  to  the  westward  seems  like 
trying  to  walk  through  a  stone  fence.  There  is  plenty 
of  water-sky  around  us,  too,  as  if  to  tempt  us  with  a 
sight  of  the  impossible.  As  the  wind  still  continues 
from  the  northward  and   westward,  we   muct  expect 


E. 

vev,  Nil  des- 

all  all  hands 
ait.  It  was 
r  to  hear  it 
asted  but  a 
se  rain  will 
;  the  ice. 
I  and  found 
'e  are  quite 
le  .spar  deck 
experiment 
30  much  hy 

id  the  Arti- 
e  service  in 
[inimum  ex- 
st  week, 
ions  for  po- 
tting effect 
the  north- 
inticipated, 
haps  S.  E. ; 
ir  N.,  Ion- 
been  set 
legrees  W. 
)ught  drift 
not  have 
lat  direc- 
seems  like 
is  plenty 
us  with  a 
continues 
ct  expect 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


377 


more  southing  by  to-morrow ;  but  it  will  be  doubly 
hard  if  we  make  westing  again,  because  it  will  seem 
then  that  we  have  got  a  start  for  the  coast  of  Siberia, 
and  there  is  nothing  of  honor  in  that.  Never  mind, 
"The  darkest  hour  is  just  before  the  dawn,"  and  our 
dawn  may  be  a  bright  one. 

The  men  were  busy  to-day  scraping  the  ship's  side  in 
readine.'^s  for  painting.  Surrounded  as  we  are  with  ice, 
we  nevertheless  shall  make  a  good  appearance.  Chipp 
alreadv  has  the  Jeannette  clean  and  orderly,  and  will 
have  her  in  fine  cruising  order  by  the  time  the  water 
gets  to  us.  Sweetman  was  at  work  securing  the  keel 
runners  to  the  boats,  while  Nindemann  varnished  the 
binnacles  and  fitted  "  pantalets  "  to  them. 

To-day  we  discontinued  fires  in  the  cabin  and  berth 
deck,  intending  hereafter  to  limit  our  expenditure  of 
fuel  to  what  is  required  in  the  galley  and  for  distilling. 
At  first,  no  doubt,  we  shall  feel  the  cold  ;  but  a  slight 
discomfort  now  will  weigh  as  nothing  against  accom- 
plishing something  this  summer,  or  being  comfortable 
next  winter.  It  is  well  to  notice  here,  that  now  that 
we  have  no  fires  in  the  stoves  we  boil  our  tea  water  by 
steam,  using  a  pipe  Melville  has  fitted  to  the  Baxter 
boiler  for  that  purpose. 

June  Sth,  lue^cJay.  —  Still  going  south  and  east.  I 
suppose  we  shall  go  in  this  direction  until  a  southeaster 
bi'ings  us  up  and  sends  us  nortlnvest. 

June  dth,  Wednesday.  —  Still  going  south,  —  one  mile 
to  S.  12°  E.  since  yesterday.  However,  that  is  a  slight 
affair,  and  hardly  worth  mention,  for  a  protnising  feat- 
ure developed  itself  in  the  shape  of  another  S.  E.  wind, 
which,  springing  up  at  six  a.m.,  freshens,  and  by  mid- 
night reaches  a  velocity  of  eighteen  miles,  with  indica- 
tions of  growing  still  fresher  to-morrow.      The  ther- 


l.i 


m 


:• 


1  'U:i    : 

1 

r  5  1 

i    -       ■ 

i!  ■     '  '•■ 

i        ■■' 

r  ■;■■     ^- 

r- 

■ 

i    'i             ^r 

1  ii  ^^^  i 

1 

t    '1'       ,■■: 

■; 

i|::::l 

i  i 

) 

'■"      i 

s 

n 

iii  vl  ll 

i    ,; 

iili&Kl  ^1 

1'   i 

1 

■■yRi 

ILiii 

o 


378 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


mometor  begins  jit  19.3°,  gets  as  high  iis  27.7°,  and 
close.s  at  22°,  —  rather  low  to  be  "A^ithout  fires,  but  we 
do  not  mind  it,  at  least  most  of  us  do  not. 

Jane  H)th,  Thurf^day.  —  A  gloomy,  dis;<greeable  day ; 
no  observations  possible  ;  in  fine,  nothing  to  do  but  re- 
main shut  up,  thinking  how  lovely  June  is  in  these  re- 
gions, and  how  dull  and  dreary  this  confinement  has 
become.  Over  nine  months  held  in  bondage.  Thus 
far  in  the  month  our  prospect  is  not  very  })romising. 
If  we  are  to  judge  of  the  future  by  the  past,  very  little 
can  be  said  that  is  favorable ;  but  fortunately  experi- 
ence of  others  in  other  Arctic  wastes  has  demonstrated 
how  quickly  changes  take  place,  and  how  little  can  be 
judged  of  the  morrow  by  to-day. 

June  Wth,  Friday.  —  Another  day  of  gloomy,  un- 
pleasant weather,  a  drift  to  N.  N.  E.  being  indicated 
by  the  lead  line.  A  drift  this  way  is  a  welcome  change 
to  our  going  backwai'd.  Thick  fog  or  impenetrable 
snow  falls  so  soft  that  it  melts  on  touching  the  fioe,  thus 
depriving  us  of  the  satisfaction  of  getting  drinking 
water  from  it,  whereby  we  might  put  our  distiller  out 
of  commission  and  save  one  hundred  pounds  of  coal  a 
da  v. 

June  IWi,  Saturday.  —  These  are,  I  think,  our  gloom- 
iest days,  not  alone  because  of  the  unpleasant  weatlier, 
but  because  of  the  continued  disappointment,  hour  after 
hour,  at  a  time  when  we  have  some  reason  to  hope  for 
a  release.  Before  many  days  the  sun  will  have  got  his 
furthest  north,  and  will  commence  going  south  again, 
and  that  in  itself  is  not  a  comforting  circumstance. 
Though  the  ice  is  visibly  wasting  on  the  surface,  and 
is  sloppy  and  in  places  ankle  deep  in  water,  there  is 
enough  that  is  firm  and  solid  below  to  hold  us  fast, 
and  prevent  lanes  or  openings.    This  chasseeing  around 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


379 


27.7°,  and 
res,  but  we 

eablo  (lay ; 
do  but  rc- 
n  these  re- 
ement  has 
ge.  Thus 
pronii.si  ng. 
veiy  little 
i]y  experi- 
nonstnited 
ttle  can  be 


jomy,  un- 
indicated 
.ne  change 
i)enetnible 
Hoe,  thus 
drinking 
tiller  out 
of  coal  a 


ur  gloom- 
weather, 

lour  after 
hope  for 

'e  got  his 

h   again, 

instance. 

ace,  and 

there  is 

us  fiist, 

j:  around 


before  varying  winds  Avill  perhaps  bring  us  up  near 
where  we  started,  but  it  may  also  have  the  etfect  of 
shaking  up  the  ice  and  cracking  it,  in  which  case  the 
present  temperature  will  prevent  a  re-freezing,  and 
perhnps  faciUtato  the  making  of  a  lane  by  whit^h  we 
can  move. 

June  ll>//(,  Sunday.  —  The  general  gloominess  is  some- 
what alleviated  by  the  getting  of  ol)serv;i  lions  for  posi- 
tion, whereby  I  determine  we  are  in  latitude  7-4''  o'  4G" 
N.,  longitude  17G°  oJ>'  45"  E.,  and  have  drifted  since  the 
9th  instant  thirteen  miles  to  N.  GO''  W.  Not  encourag- 
ing, either  for  the  Pole  or  the  N.  W.  Passage;  but  qiuen 
sabe  ? 

At  ten  inspected  the  ship,  finding  everything  neat, 
clean,  and  orderly.  Divine  service  followed.  Jack 
captured  a  young  fox.     Turned  it  over  to  naturalist. 

June  lAth,  Monday.  —  Mr.  Collins  was  added  to  our 
sick-list  last  evening,  —  an  attack  of  indigestion,  or 
something  of  that  kind,  which  is  not  serious  enough  for 
alarm.  Danenhower's  case  renuiins  the  same,  and  the 
doctor  tells  me  nothing  more  can  be  done  for  him  until 
our  return  to  the  United  States.  To  bring  about  any 
change  in  his  condition  a  very  severe  operation  is  neces- 
sary, and  in  our  circumstances  such  an  operation  is  not 
to  be  resorted  to.  Besides  proper  instruments,  the  sur- 
geon ought  to  have  an  assistant,  and  the  sul)sequcnt 
treatment  of  the  patient  requires  the  conveniences  and 
appliances  which  a  hospital  alone  can  furnish.  So  far 
as  the  purposes  of  this  expedition  are  concerned,  Da- 
nenhower  may  be  counted  out  entirely  ;  and  my  plans 
and  operations  are  therefore  to  be  made  without  his 
assistance  or  cooperation. 

All  sorts  of  weather  to-day,  —  sometimes  a  little  blue 
sky,  oftener  overcast,  a  little   fog,  a  little  snow,  and 


I 


lli 


lia 


h      tl 


11 


l^ii 


380 


TIIK   VOYAGE   OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


some  squalls.  We  are  engno;ecl  in  painting  the  ship 
outside,  a  curious  spectacle  in  the  ice-pack,  and  shall 
look  as  neat  and  trim  ere  long  as  if  we  were  at  anchor 
in  a  s!iug  harbor.  Our  boats  are  also  being  painted, 
getting  their  i^liare  of  the  general  "  tarring"  up. 

June  loth,  Tuctfday.  —  Much  water-skj  all  around  ho- 
rizon, iind  from  aloft  we  can  see  ponds  here  and  there 
at  long  intervals. 

June  16th,  Wednesday.  —  Observations  to-day  place 
us  in  73°  40'  54"  N.,  and  177°  18'  15"  E.,  showing  that 
we  have  drifted  since  yesterday  thirteen  miles  to  S.  18° 
E.  This  is  the  hardest  blow  of  all,  and  difficult  to  stand 
up  under.  Arc  we  never  to  have  a  change  ?  Our  sound- 
ings to-day  are  in  twenty-five  fathoms,  so  I  suppose  we 
are  drifting  towards  some  shoal  on  which  our  ice-field 
may  bring  up.  I  am  too  disgusted  to  make  any  more 
remarks  on  such  a  miserably  resulting  day. 

June  17th,  Thursday.  —  Observations  to-day  place 
us  in  73°  33'  41"  N.,  and  177°  27'  15"  E.,  showing  a 
drift  since  yesterday  of  7.7  miles  to  S.  21°  E. 

The  work  of  painting  goes  on  as  if  we  were  in  a  har- 
bor with  other  ships  to  look  at  us,  instead  of  being  hard 
fast  in  the  ice  many  hundred  miles  away  from  the  rest 
of  humanity.  At  all  events  we  can  admire  the  result 
of  our  own  labor. 

June  ISth,  Friday.  —  Our  daily  monotony  is  very 
depressing.  Over  nine  montlis  have  we  been  held  fast 
and  drifted  here  and  there  at  the  will  of  the  winds.  So 
long  as  the  temperature  gave  no  chance  for  a  change, 
no  one  expected  it,  and  we  cheerfully  accepted  the  in- 
evitable. When  during  the  month  of  May  we  steadily 
drifted  to  the  northward  and  westward  we  were  nearly 
as  well  pleased  as  if  we  had  had  a  lane  to  move  the 
ship  along  in,  for  we  were  advancing.     Since  the  4th 


ing  the  ship 
k,  and  shall 
Te  at  anchor 
ing  painted, 
lip. 

I  around  ho- 
•e  and  there 

to-day  place 
lowing  that 
les  to  S.  18° 
ult  to  stand 
Our  sound- 
suppose  we 
»ur  ice-field 
3  any  more 

)-daj  place 
showing  a 

e  in  a  har- 

bei)ig  hard 

)m  the  rest 

the  result 

ij  is  very 

II  held  fast 
rt'inds.    So 

a  change, 
ed  the  in- 
■  e  steadily 
?re  neaily 
move  the 
B  the  4th 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


381 


instant,  however,  we  have  been  as  steadily  going  back, 
and  to-day  we  are  very  nearly  in  the  same  latitude  we 
reached  a  month  ago,  and  about  fifteen  miles  W.  of 
our  old  track,  going  on  "  backward  in  our  Hight."  Here 
then,  so  far  as  we  can  judge,  is  a  month  lost,  and  worse 
than  lost,  for  we  have  got  into  shallower  water  where 
but  little  wave  action  can  or  will  take  place  to  break 
up  the  fiehl  which  surrounds  us.  Water-sky  in  abun- 
dance indicates  some  ponds,  if  no  larger  opening; 
though  as  they  change  positions  daily,  no  very  consid- 
erable opening  can  have  occurred.  In  our  immediate 
vicinity  where  the  water  pumped  from  the  ship  froze 
over  the  old  ice,  the  crust  is  thawing  and  forming 
ponds.  This  makes  our  walking  uncertain,  for  without 
warning  one  is  apt  to  break  through  and  be  in  water 
over  his  knees.  As  all  around  the  ship  ashes  and  ref- 
use have  been  spread,  presenting  a  black  surface,  the 
ice  underneath  rapidly  melts,  and  by  the  careful  atten- 
tions of  Melville,  Dunbar,  and  the  doctor,  the  resulting 
water  is  led  by  canals  to  the  ditch,  where,  by  its 
warmth,  say  30°,  it  honey-combs  the  heavier  ice  be- 
neath. By  the  wasting  of  the  ice  the  ship  is  more  un- 
covered, and  within  a  day  or  two  we  have  noticed  that 
she  has  come  up,  "  cradle  and  all,"  about  four  inches,  as 
indicated  by  the  falling  of  the  water-level  on  her  doub- 
ling. Every  day  Mr.  Dunbar  and  the  men  arc  out  on 
the  hunt,  and  occasionally  a  seal  is  brought  in,  in  tow 
of  the  dogs,  as  the  result.  All  bears  seem  to  have  dis- 
appeared, not  a  single  track  having  been  seen  for  some 
days.  They  evidently  have  gone  to  the  land,  where 
the  breeding  season  affords  them  more  attractive  food 
than  seal  meat  at  rare  intervals. 

June   \S)th,    Saturday.  —  Observations    to-day  show 
a  drift  to  S.  47°  E.  seven  miles.     That  our  drift  is  not 


382 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


li'  Si- 


:r 


a 4 


greater  is  remarkable,  for,  in  the  past  twenty-four  liours 
we  have  had  N.  W.  winds,  witU  velocities  ranging  from 
sixteen  to  twenty-four  miles  an  hour.  However,  our 
field  may  have  brought  up,  and  though  we  are  deepen- 
ing our  water  again  to  twenty-three  and  a  half  fathoms, 
it  may  be  that  we  are  being  edged  off,  as  the  ice  grinds 
on  the  shoal.  Otherwise  the  day  is  without  interest. 
Putty,  squally  weather  and  occasional  snow  Hurries  go 
to  make  up  a  June  day  in  these  latitudes. 

Jime  20/A,  Sundcnj.  —  Another  week  has  come  and 
gone  and  we  are  in  the  same  place.  Instead  of  repin- 
ing at  not  advancing,  I  suppose  I  ought  to  be  grateful 
that  I  have  a  ship  to  hold  us  together,  but  weak  human 
nature  crops  out  occasionally. 

At  ten  I  inspected  the  ship,  finding  everything  in 
good  c  judition,  and  shining  with  the  coat  of  paint  that 
has  been  applied.  Then  divine  service  was  perforuied 
in  the  cabin.  Newcomb,  while  out  to-day,  found  a 
dozen  mosquitoes.  Carefully  did  he  bring  them  to  the 
ship  as  trophies.  They  Avere,  when  found  or  the  snow, 
dull  and  sluggish,  as  if  blown  a  long  distance  by  the 
wind. 

June  21s/,  Monday.  —  The  advent  and  departure  of 
another  day  to  record  ;  and  except  that  it  is  the  longest 
day  in  the  year  to  some  people  (though  not  of  course 
to  us,  since  we  have  the  sun  the  wdiole  twenty-four 
hours),  it  is  hardly  worth  recording.  Observations  show 
us  that  we  have  drifted,  since  the  19th,  eleven  and 
three  tenths  miles  to  S.  08°  E.  Discouraging,  very. 
And  yet  my  motto  is,  '"  Hope  on,  hope  ever."  A  very 
good  one  it  is  when  one's  surroundings  are  more  natural 
tlian  ours;  but  situated  as  we  are  it  is  better  in  the  ab- 
stract than  in  realization.  There  can  be  no  greater  wear 
and  tear  on  a  man's  mind  and  patience  than  this  life  in 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


383 


four  lioiirs 
giii^  from 
rever,  our 
CO  tlcopon- 
f  fathoms, 
ice  grinds 
t  interest, 
[lurries  go 


come  and 

of  repin- 

le  grateful 

ak  human 


•vthinsj!:  in 
paint  that 
performed 
found  a 
em  to  the 
the  snow, 
e  by  tlie 

Kirture  of 

|e  longest 

)f  course 

Mity-four 

Ions  show 

ven  and 

|g,  very. 

A  very 

natural 

the  ab- 

ter  wear 

Ls  life  in 


the  pack.  Tiie  absolute  monotony ;  the  unchanging 
round  of  hours ;  the  awakening  to  the  same  things  and 
the  same  conditions  that  one  saw  just  before  losing 
one's  self  in  sleep  ;  the  same  faces  ;  the  same  dogs  ;  the 
same  ice  ;  the  same  conviction  that  tomorrow  will  be 
exactly  the  same  as  to-day,  if  not  more  disagreeable ; 
the  absolute  impotence  to  do  anytiiing,  to  go  anywhere, 
or  to  change  one's  situation  an  iota ;  the  realization 
that  food  is  being  consumed  and  fuel  burned  with  no 
valuable  result,  beyond  sustaining  life ;  the  knowledge 
that  nothing  has  been  accomplished  thus  far  to  save 
this  expedition  from  being  denominated  sin  utter  fail- 
ure ;  all  these  things  crowd  in  witlx  irresistible  force  on 
my  reasoning  powers  each  night  as  1  sit  down  to  reHect 
upon  the  events  of  the  day,  and  but  for  some  still  small 
voice  within  me  that  tells  me  this  can  hardly  be  the 
ending  of  all  my  labor  and  zeal,  I  should  be  tempted  to 
despair. 

All  our  books  are  read,  our  stories  related  ;  our  games 
of  chess,  cards,  and  checkers  long  since  discontinued. 
When  we  assemble  in  the  morning  at  breakfast  we 
make  daily  a  fresh  start.  Any  dreams,  amusing  or  pe- 
culiar, are  related  and  laughed  over.  Theories  as  to 
whether  we  shall  eventually  drift  N.  E.  or  N.  W.  are 
brought  forward  and  discussed.  Seals'  livers  as  a 
change  of  diet  are  pronounced  a  success.  The  temper- 
ature of  the  morning  watch  is  inquired  into,  the  direc- 
tion and  velocity  of  the  wind,  and  if  it  is  snowing  (as 
it  generally  is)  we  call  it  a  "  fine  summer  day."  After 
breakfast  we  smoke.  Chipp  gets  a  sounding  and  an- 
nounces a  drift  E.  S.  E.  or  S.  E.,  as  the  case  may  be. 
We  growl  thereat.  Dunbar  and  Alexey  go  off  for 
seals  with  as  many  dogs  as  do  not  run  away  from  them 
en  route.     The  doctor  examines  Danenhower  and  Iver- 


384 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


'II 


V  r 


sen,  his  two  chronic  patients.  Melville  draws  a  little 
for  this  journal,  sings  a  little,  and  stirs  everybody  up  to 
a  realization  that  it  is  daytime.  Dancnliower  talks  in- 
cessantly—  on  any  or  all  subjects,  with  or  without  an 
audience.  The  doctor  moralizes  between  observations ; 
I  smoke ;  Mr.  Newcomb  makes  his  preparations  for 
dredging  specimens ;  Mr.  Collins  has  not  appeared,  his 
usual  hour  being  12.30  in  the  afternoon.  Meanwhile, 
the  men  have  been  set  at  work ;  a  sled  and  dogs  are 
dispatched  for  the  day's  snow  for  washing  purposes. 
The  decks  are  cleared  up,  soundings  made,  berth  deck 
inspected,  and  work  of  painting,  scraping,  or  whatever 
is  on  hand  commenced.  The  day's  rations  are  served 
out  to  the  cook,  and  then  we  commence  to  drift  out  on 
the  ice  to  dig  ditches,  to  look  at  the  dogs,  calculate  the 
waste  in  the  ice  since  yesterday,  and  the  probable 
amount  by  to-morrow.  The  dredge  is  lowered  and 
hauled.  1  get  the  sun  at  meridian,  and  we  go  to  din- 
ner. After  dinner  more  smoke,  more  drawing,  more 
singing,  more  talk,  more  ditch  and  canal-making,  more 
hunting,  more  work,  more  dog  inspection,  and  some  at- 
tempts at  napping  until  four  p.  m.,  when  we  are  all 
around  for  anything  that  may  turn  up.  At  5.30  time 
and  azimuth  sight,  post  position  in  cabin,  make  chart, 
go  to  supper  at  six,  and  discuss  our  drift,  and  then 
smoke,  talk,  and  general  kill-time  occupations  until  ten 
p.  M.,  when  the  day  is  ended.  The  noise  subsides  ;  those 
who  can,  go  to  bed  ;  I  write  the  log  and  my  journal, 
make  the  observations  for  meteorology  until  midnight. 
Mr.  Collins  succeeds  me  four  hours,  Chipp  him  four 
hours,  the  doctor  next  four  hours,  Mr.  Collins  next  six 
hours,  I  next  two  hours,  Melville  next  two  hours,  and  I 
end  the  day  again,  and  so  it  goes. 

Our   meals   necessarily  have   a   sameness.     Canned 


■  n 


A  FROZEN   SUMMER. 


385 


Lws  a  little 
body  up  to 
er  talks  in- 
without  un 
iservations ; 
rations  for 
)peared,  his 
Meanwhile, 
nd  dogs  are 
g  purposes. 

berth  deck 
3r  whatever 
I  are  served 
drift  out  on 
lalculate  the 
le  probable 
owered    and 

e  go  to  din- 
Aving,  more 
jaking,  more 

nd  some  at- 
we  are  all 
5.30  time 
ake  chart, 

|t,  and  then 

ins  until  ten 

iides ;  those 
ly  journal, 

.1  midnight. 

Ip  him  four 
ns  next  six 
ours,  and  I 

3.     Canned 


meats,  salt  beef,  salt  pork,  and  bear  meat  have  the 
same  taste  at  one  time  as  anotiier.  Each  day  has  its 
bill  of  fare,  but  after  varying  it  every  day  for  a  week 
we  have,  of  course,  to  commence  over  again.  Conse- 
quently we  have  it  by  heart,  and  know  what  we  are 
going  to  eat  before  we  sit  down  at  table.  Sometimes 
the  steward  startles  us  with  a  potato  salad  (potatoes 
now  rotting  too  fast  for  our  consumption),  or  a  se.nl's 
liver,  or  a  bear's  tongue ;  but  we  generally  are  not  dis- 
turbed in  that  way.  Our  bill  of  fare  is  ample  and  good, 
our  water  is  absolutely  pure,  and  our  fresh  bread  is 
something  marvelous.  Though  disappointed  day  after 
day  we  are  cheerful  and  healthy,  and  —  here  we  are. 

Everything  looks  unsettled  about  the  weather  to- 
dny.  We  have  some  squalls,  a  little  rain,  a  little  snow, 
a  little  mist,  plenty  of  water-sky,  and,  alas,  plenty  of 
ice.     The  temperature  ranges  between  33°  and  30°. 

June  22d,  Tuesday.  —  As  a  finishing  touch  to  our 
cleaning  house  we  to-day  blacked  down  the  rigging. 
Mr.  Newcomb  shot  and  secured  a  beautiful  Ross  gull, 
which  from  its  rarity  is  quite  a  prize.  This  makes  the 
third  of  this  species  that  he  has  secured,  two  last  fall 
and  one  to-day. 

June  23(7,  Wednesday.  —  Ross  gulls  are  by  no  means 
rare  with  us,  however  rare  they  may  be  in  other  parts 
of  the  world,  for  to-day  Aneguin  shot  another  one  and 
brought  him  in,  making  four  in  our  collection.  Our 
bear  meat  beginning  to  run  low,  we  have  set  to 
work  accumulating  seals,  not  only  for  the  dogs  but  for 
our  own  possible  food,  and  I  am  much  pleased  to  find 
that  we  have  now  twenty-seven  on  hand.  Every  day 
hunting  parties  are  out  bringing  in  one  or  two.  Thus 
far  we  bury  the  seals  in  the  snow  to  preserve  them 
from  the  heat(?)  of  the  sun,  which  will,  of  course,  last 
25 


386 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


IJ- 


■i-  ii 


■I  :  i  I 


Ki  ;■ 


only  as  long  as  wo  arc  hold  fast.  When  wc  movo,  T 
supposo  wo  must  utilize  sonio  empty  .space  in  the  coal 
bunkers  as  a  stow  place  for  the  carcasses.  For  some 
reason  wo  see  no  walruses.  The  amount  of  bright 
sunlight  we  have  had  since  the  temperature  has  been 
pleasant  has  not  been  sufliciont,  perhaps,  to  induce  the 
walruses  to  come  out  and  bask  in  it.  Tiiis  month  has 
been  an  eminently  unpleasant  one,  for  though  the  tem- 
perature has  been  comparatively  high,  say  32°,  so  much 
moisture  has  been  contained  in  the  air  as  to  make  us 
always  chilly.  The  thawing  on  the  surface  of  the  lloe 
has  kept  everything  sloppy,  some  phices  being  an  inch 
deep  and  more  in  water.  Under  such  circumstances 
moccasins  are  of  no  use ;  rubber  boots  for  steady  wear 
are  crippling  to  the  feet,  and  we  are  compelled  to  fall 
back  upon  leather  boots,  which,  though  kept  impervious 
to  water  by  constant  greasing,  make  our  feet  cold  and 
uncomfortable.  My  plan  is  to  wear  my  boots  only 
when  in  the  main  cabin  or  on  the  ice ;  as  soon  as  I 
come  into  my  own  room  I  put  on  a  pair  of  bird-skin 
slippers  which  Mr.  Dunbar  made  for  me,  and  which  are 
as  warm  as  can  be  ilesired. 

Owing  to  the  accumulation  of  ashes  and  rubbish 
around  the  ship,  the  ice  in  that  locality  is  rapidly  wast- 
ing, and  in  consequence  more  and  more  of  the  ship's 
hull  is  being  uncovered.  Besides  this  there  is  a  wast- 
ing going  on  in  the  ice-cradle  which  holds  her,  and  this 
relief  of  so  much  weight  allows  her  to  rise  more  nearly 
to  her  proper  flotation.  This  we  see  indicated  by  the 
daily  difference  of  the  water-level,  and  it  averages 
nearly  an  inch  a  day.  In  an  idle  moment  I  appointed 
the  4th  of  July,  the  anniversary  of  the  Jeannette's 
christening,  as  the  time  when  she  would  again  be  afloat 
and  under  way,  and  I  shall  be  the  happiest  man  north 


jvQ  movo,  T 
in  the  coal 
For  some 
t  of  bright 
•e  has  been 
induce  the 
month  has 
r\i  the  tem- 
•2°,  so  much 
to  make  us 
of  the  lloe 
nng  an  inch 
rcumstances 
steady  wear 
celled  to  fall 
t  impervious 
pet  cold  and 
boots  only 
IS  soon  as  I 
of  bird-skin 
which  are 

md  rubbish 
pidly  wast- 
»f  the  ship's 
e  is  a  wast- 
er, and  this 
nore  nearly 
ited  by  the 
averages 
I  appointed 
Jeannette's 
An  be  afloat 
man  north 


A   FROZEN  SUMMER. 


387 


of  the  Arctic  Circle  if  such  proves  the  case.  Since  our 
supply  of  snow  begins  to  be  dilHcult  of  access  on  ac- 
count of  the  sloi)py  condition  of  the  ice  which  makes 
sledding  bad,  we  to-day  lilled  our  tank  on  the  spar  deck 
with  the  water  from  the  pools.  The  temperature  is 
sufKcient  to  prevent  accident  to  our  tank  by  any  freez- 


ing. 


The  dismal  monotony  of  our  dailv  existence  still  con- 
tinues,  and  while  our  drift  is  southward  ho  !  our  social 
barometer  is  kept  correspondingly  low.  The  only  ani- 
mate creatures  in  whoui  I  detect  no  change  are  the 
dogs.  They  seem  perfectly  oblivious  to  all  surround- 
ings, utterly  indifferent  whether  the  sun  shines  or  does 
not  shine,  so  long  as  they  are  fed.  From  the  liberal 
diet  of  bear  meat  and  seals'  entrails  they  have  re- 
mained as  fat  as  dumplings,  and  repudisite  utterly  any 
lahor  or  exertion.  When  with  the  sunshine  the  tem- 
perature reaches  o2°,  it  is  amusing  to  see  them  pant, 
and  seek  shady  places,  while  we  human  beings  are 
merely  comfortable.  However,  their  heat  has  a  better 
non-conductor  than  ours. 

June  24/A,  Thursday.  —  A  day  without  anything  in 
particular  to  record. 

June  2^jth,  Friday.  —  This  day  is  worthy  of  record  as 
bringing  another  Ross  gull,  shot  by  Aneguin,  and  no 
less  than  nine  seals.  Besides  this  Aneguin  saw  and 
shot  his  last  cartridge  into  a  young  bear,  but  the  ani- 
mal, though  bleeding  freely,  took  to  the  water  and 
escaped.  The  "  water  "  referred  to  is  the  long  lane 
about  one  and  a  half  miles  S.  E.  of  the  ship,  which 
is  daily  visited  by  seal  hunters.  Thermometer  is  gen- 
erally at  31°  and  32°,  but  at  three  p.  m.  it  was  37.5°. 
Oh,  if  we  could  have  it  at  100°  for  a  week  to  melt  this 
ice  rapidly !    That  some  melting  is  going  on  beneath  is 


•lilj 


.•{83 


TIIK   VOYAC.K   OF   THE  JEANN'KTTK. 


il'';i 


¥    • 


lil 


shown  ))v  till'  water-li'vcl  tfoiiiy:  stoudilv  down  on  tlio 
slii|)'.s  side,  tlio  weight  liolding  her  down  hocoining  less. 
We  now  liiu'e  the  sea-level  jit  nine  feet  seven  and  a 
halt"  inches  forwurd. 

June  2Gth,  S((fnr(Jai/.  —  A  drift  of  eiglit  miles  N. 
85°  W.  •  Thus  it  iroes,  east  one  day,  west  the  next, 
north  one  week,  south  the  next.  When  will  this  come 
to  an  end  ?  Twenty-four  fathoms  soundings,  W.  S.  W. 
drift,  also  enoouraging.  very  !  An  opening  ten  feet 
wide  occurred  in  the  ice  half  way  to  the  old  opening 
one  and  a  half  miles  8.  E.  of  the  ship.  Much  water- 
sky  in  all  directions. 

Jiuie  27th,  Sundaij.  —  At  ten  A.  m.  made  my  usual 
Sun(hiy  inspection,  and  read  divine  service  thereafter 
in  the  cahin.  From  the  crow's-nest  we  can  see  that 
we  are  in  the  centi'e  of  an  ice  island,  a  lane  of  water  in 
some  places  a  (juarter  of  a  mile  wide  surrounding  us  at 
a  distance  of  a  mile.  This  would  show  that  the  ice 
does  sometimes  open  in  these  hititudes,  a  fact  which  I 
had  begun  to  doubt  hitherto. 

June  2Wi,  Monda}).  —  Mr.  Dunbar  started  ont  this 
morning  with  the  dingy  to  go  ducking,  intending  to  go 
to  the  lane  of  water  about  one  mile  N.  W.  of  us,  and 
try  luck.  lie  came  back  about  four  )?.  m.  with  thirteen 
ducks,  and  informed  me  that  liv  followed  the  lane 
(which  he  thought  ran  north)  for  nearly  fifteen  miles 
without  coming  to  its  end.  I'de  ice  on  each  side  (at 
times  two  thirds  of  a  mile  wide)  was  very  old  and  heavy, 
live  and  six  feet  out  of  water,  and  so  deep  under  water 
that  he  could  not  see  the  bottom  of  it.  1  began  to  look 
upon  this  as  an  avenue  of  escape,  and  ran  over  in  my 
mind  how  I  could  get  the  ship  through  the  mile  of  in- 
tervening ice  into  the  lane  and  push  on  for  something. 
But  I  need  not  have  exe*-  ised  my  slumbering  brain 


E. 

own  on  tlio 
t'()iniii<^  loss, 
iovon  and  a 

ht  mllcH  N. 
t  tlio  next, 
ill  this  conic 
cs,  W.  S.  W. 
n^^  ten  feet 
old  opening 
Vluch  water- 


A   FIIOZKN   SUMMER. 


381) 


lo  my  nsual 
e  thereafter 
an  see  that 
!  of  water  in 
Hiding  us  at 
hat  the  ice 
act  which  I 

ed   ont  this 
nding  to  y-o 
of  us,  and 
ith  thirteen 
d    the   lane 
fteen    miles 
ch  side  (at 
and  heavy, 
mder  water 
gan  to  look 
over  in  my 
mile  of  in- 
some  thing. 
Luring  brain 


tissue,  for  toward  midnight  the  lane  oommoneed  to 
close,  and  1  had  the  nu'lancholy  satisfaction  of  realiz- 
ing that  had  the  ship  been  there  she  would  in  all  prob- 
ability have  had  a  line  sciueezing. 

We  find  that  the  amount  of  water  coming  into  the 
sliip  forward  is  decreasing  quite  sensibly,  lor  we  do  not 
have  to  run  our  windmill  nearly  as  much  as  formerly. 
The  leak,  or  supposed  leak  aft,  has  stojiped  altogether. 
The  ice  right  around  us  is  wasting  very  fast,  and  we 
still  continue  to  rise,  bringing  our  cradle  with  us.  To- 
day the  water-line  is  at  nine  feet  four  inches  on  our 
stem.  We  are  heeling  4°  to  starboard  {T  all  winter), 
and  our  doubling  on  the  starboard  side  is  about  four 
inches  above  the  water.  The  surface  of  our  Hoc  is 
dotted  here  and  there  with  small  lakes,  which  enable 
us  to  get  water  readily  for  our  tank,  and  })resent  so 
riany  excellent  laundries  for  Avasiiing  clothes.  IIow 
disgusting  it  is  to  see  ice  form  on  the  surface  of  our 
little  lakes  at  the  end  of  June. 

June  2dth,  7\icsdai/.  —  An  uneventful  day.  We  have 
drifted  since  yesterday  three  miles  to  8.  ol°  E.  Not 
very  encouraging,  but  still  I  hope  on,  hope  ever.  The 
lane  of  open  water  which  Mr.  Dunbar  followed  up  for 
fifteen  miles  yesterday  has  closed  attain  to-dav,  its  (^en- 
eral  direction  being  indicated  by  disconnected  small 
ponds  here  and  there.  The  ship  is  still  rising,  the 
water-level  being  now  at  nine  feet  on  the  stem. 

June  ?A)th,  Wednesday.  —  The  month  of  June  comes 
to  an  end,  and  leaves  us,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  fifty  miles 
S.  9°  E,  of  where  we  were  at  its  commencement.  Wc 
are,  in  fact,  no  further  north  than  we  were  between  May 
16th  and  17th,  and  may  be  said  to  have  accomplished 
nothing  in  six  weeks  —  both  cheerful  and  encouraging  ! 
Our  position  to-day  i^  in  72°  19'4r  N.,  and  178°  27' 30" 


*'*«»--«*A««**«»>»»»i*iil.-'is, 


i'iH 


390 


T[Ii:  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


Jiijli 


i| 


V  ■> 


Wt 


E.,  and  wo  have  gone  since  yesterday  S.  52°  E.  the 
enoi'inous  distance  of  one  mile  !  I  am  ahnost  disgusted 
beyond  redemption.  To  stand  still  would  be  bad  enough, 
but  to  go  backward  is  worse.  To-day  I  had  to  inflict 
the  first  punishment  of  the  cruise  on  Boyd,  fireman, 
giving  him  watch  and  watch  for  twenty-four  hours  in 
the  fire-room,  for  profane  and  abusive  language  to  a 
shipmate.  A  magnificent  day  for  weather,  —  a  tem- 
perature of  41°  at  two  P.  M.,  and  34°  at  midnight.  Not 
a  cloud  from  noon  to  midnight.  Mr.  Dunbar  took  the 
dingy  out  to  the  long  lead  to-day,  but  found  it  all  closed 
lip.  No  ducks,  therefore,  were  brought  back,  but  a  Ross 
gull,  which,  though  quite  rare  in  Europe  and  America, 
is  with  us  a  drug  almost,  for  we  have  seven. 

Jidi/  1st,  71iursday.  —  We  commenced  a  new  month 
with  bright,  pleasant  weather,  and  almost  cloudless  sky, 
light  southerly  wind,  and  a  temperature  ranging  from 
33°  to  38°.  And  as  an  encouraging  fact,  our  sights 
show  that  we  have  drifted  since  yesterday  two  miles  to 
N.  40°  E.  Let  us  hope  that  it  is  the  beginning  of  a  new 
era,  and  that  we  are  now  going  to  advance  and  no 
longer  retreat.  Nearly  ten  months  held  fast  in  the  ice, 
but  yet  we  are  all  here,  and  with  two  exceptions  in 
good  health.  Danenhower  drags  along  in  as  uncertain 
a  condition  as  ever.  Of  late  his  eye  has  been  accumu- 
lating trouble  and  begun  to  affect  its  mate,  and  the  doc- 
tor has  been  compelled  to  cut  and  probe  again  daily  as 
he  did  CiU'ly  in  the  winter.  Though  Danenhower  stands 
the  trial  well,  as  far  as  his  general  health  is  concerned, 
I  fear  he  may  not  be  able  to  stand  the  wear  and  tear  of 
another  winter  in  the  pack  if  we  are  unfortunate  enough 
to  have  to  endure  it.  He  is,  of  course,  very  thin  and 
bleached  from  his  long  confinement,  but  seems  always 
bright  and  cheerful,  and  speaks  of  getting  back  to  duty 


52°  E.  the 
it  disgusted 
)ad  enough, 
id  to  inflict 
id,  fireman, 
Lir  hours  in 
iu:uaf>;e  to  a 
',  —  a  tem- 
[light.  Not 
ar  took  the 
it  all  closed 
,  but  a  Ross 
id  America, 

new  month 

3udless  sky, 

niji-in":  from 

our  sights 

tvo  miles  to 

lig  of  a  new 

ce   and  no 

in  the  ice, 

options  in 

uncertain 

n  accumu- 

[id  the  doc- 

in  daily  as 

Iwer  stands 

oncerned, 

nd  tear  of 

te  enough 

thin  and 

ns  always 

ik  to  duty 


i 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


391 


in  a  short  time,  which,  of  course,  I  know  to  be  out  of 
the  question.  Our  other  sick  man,  Iversen,  seems  to  be 
improving,  only  occasionally  breaking  out  into  hysteri- 
cal weeping,  etc. ;  but  his  gloomy  ideas  of  being  watched 
and  a  mutiny,  etc.,  seem  to  have  subsided. 

Our  coal  account  shows  that  we  have  remaining  fifty- 
six  and  one  half  tons.  At  all  hazards  1  must  retain 
thirty  tons  for  keeping  us  warm  and  cooking  and  dis- 
tilling next  winter,  so  that  I  have  just  twenty-six  tons 
that  could  be  devoted  to  steaming  in  case  I  had  a  fair 
chance  to  accomplish  anything.  As  our  consumption 
per  diem  in  steaming  would  be  at  least  five  tons,  1  have 
in  round  numbers  five  days'  steaming.  And  with  tills  I 
liave  to  make  the  Pole,  accomplish  the  N.  W.  Passage, 
or  go  back  empty  handed.  What  an  ending  the  last 
would  be  compared  with  our  beginning,  —  the  yachts, 
the  fort's  salute,  etc.,  etc.  It  makes  my  heart  sick  to 
think  of  it.  What  a  return  for  the  expenditure  of 
money !  What  a  realization  of  all  my  fond  dreams  and 
hopes ! 

To-day  our  men  dug  away  the  ice  under  and  around 
our  propeller  well,  hoping  for  a  time  soon  to  come  when 
we  can  get  the  screw  up  nnd  have  a  look  at  it.  We 
still  rise  slowly,  l)ut  there  is  yet  a  h.rge  mass  clinging 
to  us,  Melville  tried  the  other  day  to  turn  the  screw 
shaft  by  jacking,  but:  it  was  held  too  rigidly. 

Jiili/  2d,  Friday.  —  Another  uneventful  day,  and  such 
gloriously  beautiful  weather  that  our  enforced  idleness 
becomes  terrible.  A  temperature  ranging  from  o4^  to 
4...  and  back  to  32°,  and  ponds  here  and  there  to 
mock  us  with  water  that  is  too  little  for  navigation  and 
too  salt  for  drinking  —  at  all  these  we  stand  and  look, 
and  see  one  day  more  pass  by  witiiout  our  having  done 
a  thinj;  that  is  to  our  credit. 


392 


TIIK  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


i     i 


i' 


t     V   ?i 


in 


Juli/  od,  Saturday.  —  The  amount  of  water  finding 
its  way  into  the  fore  peak  has  become  very  small,  and 
within  the  last  week  or  two  just  a  small  stream  ruiniing 
over  the  floors.  But  to-day  even  that  small  amount  has 
ceased,  and  the  fore  peak  and  flour-room  are  both  as 
dry  as  a  bone.  The  amount  of  water  lodging  in  the 
fire-room  bilge  is  correspondingly  small.  We  have  been 
accustomed  to  let  about  five  inches  accumulate,  in  order 
to  have  a  convenient  feed  for  our  distilling  apparatus, 
running  the  windmill,  or  pumping  by  hand,  when  that 
depth  has  been  increased.  The  light  airs  and  calms  of 
the  past  day  or  two  have  necessitated  the  use  of  the 
quarter  deck  bilge-pump,  and  I  have  remarked  that  a 
dozen  strokes  or  so  each  hour  have  caused  it  to  "  suck." 
The  melting  of  the  surface  ice  around  us  has  so  much 
decreased  the  mass  of  ice  surrounding  the  ship  that  it 
has  been  buoyed  up  by  the  water  bringing  the  ship  with 
it,  and  to-day  the  water-level  is  at  a  height,  or  perhaps 
more  properly  depth,  of  eight  feet  seven  inches  on  our 
stem. 

The  decrease  of  the  leak  is  pleasant  enough,  though 
of  course  I  can  assign  no  satisfactory  reason.  The 
clmnge  from  3,GG3  gallons  per  hour  to  a  dozen  strokes 
of  a  hand  bilge-pump  is  too  remarkable  to  be  mentioned 
casually.  The  change  has  been  gradual,  and  inexplica- 
ble beyond  a  certain  extent.  The  settling  down  and 
hardening  of  the  oatmeal,  white  lead,  o.ikum,  etc.,  be- 
tween the  frames  may  have  caused  a  partial  barrier  to 
the  entrance  of  the  water,  and  the  raising  of  the  ship 
and  ice  out  of  the  water,  and  so  diminishing  the  height 
of  the  water  head,  may  have  so  decreased  the  pressure 
as  to  make  that  barrier  effectual.  As  no  water  flows 
into  the  fore  peak,  this  seems  to  follow  naturally,  and 
the  small  accumulation  in  the  fire-room  may  proceed 


iter  finding 
I  small,  and 
am  running 
amount  lias 
[ire  both  as 
j;ing  in  the 
D  have  been 
iite,  in  order 
I  apparatus, 
,  ^vllcn  that 
.nd  calms  of 

use  of  the 
rked  that  a 
t  to  "  suck." 
lias  so  much 

ship  that  it 
lie  ship  with 
,  or  perhaps 
ches  on  our 

gh,  though 
ison.  The 
zen  strokes 
mentioned 
1  inexplica- 
dowii  and 
m,  etc.,  be- 
l  barrier  to 
of  the  ship 
the  height 
le  pressure 
kvater  flows 
urally,  and 
ay  proceefi 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


393 


from  some  other  source  yet  undiscovered.  Small  as  it 
is,  it  will  not  occasion  us  much  uneasiness.  1  am  un- 
able to  get  under  the  coal  bunkers,  because  of  the  fifty- 
six  odd  tons  of  coal  there  remaining,  and  the  impracti- 
cability of  attempting  to  remove  it  while  I  am  daily 
hoping  for  a  breaking  up  of  the  ice  and  a  resumption 
of  our  voyage. 

We  have  dug  away  all  the  ice  we  could  get  at  under 
the  stern,  in  the  hope  of  liberating  our  screw  in  order 
to  trice  it  up  for  examination.  But  enough  ice  re- 
mains under  water  to  hold  it  firmly.  Leaning  o""  or  4° 
to  starboard,  the  port  side  of  our  ship  looms  up  like  a 
frigate,  and  at  a  little  distance  wm^  stand,  seemingly,  on 
top  of  the  ice.  Drawing  but  eight  feet  seven  inches 
forward,  and  twelve  feet  aft,  gives  us  a  very  "  down  at 
heel "  look,  and  makes  me  wonder  what  we  shall  really 
draw  when  the  ice-cradle  breaks  up  under  us  and  lets 
us  down  to  our  line  of  flotation. 

Our  daily  expenditure  of  fuel  amounts  to  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  pounds.  (One  hundred  and  ten 
pounds  for  the  galley  and  sixty  for  distilling.)  I  am 
\Ti}xy  much  in  hope  tliiit  the  distilling  may  soon  be  dis- 
coninued;  for  the  doctor,  who  has  been  carefully 
v/at-'hing  and  experimenting  with  the  melting  ice  lium- 
m  -ckv  i'.nd  tiie  ponds,  informs  me  to-day  that,  though 
the  ponds  are  too  salt  for  use,  the  surfaces  of  the  hum- 
mocks give  water  containing  only  two  grains  of  chlo- 
rine. Accordingly  on  Monday  we  shall  commence  col- 
lecting surface  ice  in  barrels,  thawing  the  same  and 
testing  the  resulting  water,  and  accumulate  a  tankful 
if  possible,  thus  relieving  the  distiller,  and  saving  sixty 
ijounds  coal  per  diem. 

The  little  ponds  in  our  neighborhood  have  been  freez- 
ing every  night  at  midnight  with  the  thermometer  at 


■va»Um<IM^\.u' 


■■DP'"  ' 


394 


THE  VOYAGE   OF  TIIR  JEAXNETTE. 


J  I 


t.'SM 


30°  and  31°,  thus  indicating  the  comparative  freshness 
of  their  waters.  In  tlie  daytime  our  dogs  drink  freely 
from  these  ponds,  and  our  men  use  them  as  convenient 
washing-phices  for  clothes.  To-day  an  amusing  sight 
was  presented  by  a  wash-tub,  wash-board  and  all,  on  the 
ice,  and  the  nautical  performer  as  earnestly  engaged  in 
his  laundry  as  if  no  such  thing  as  ice  or  a  ship  was 
within  a  thousand  miles. 

To-day  we  ate  the  last  of  our  bear  meat,  that  good 
and  solid  addi  ):^  *'"  our  food  during  the  many  months 
we  have  been  i.  2  ice  Ha^'ing  upward  of  forty 
seals,  we  shall  now  uccasio  lally  fall  baclt  on  them  for  a 
change  in  our  bill  of  fine.  Yesterday  we  had  ducks 
for  dinner  in  the  cabin,  the  result  of  Mr.  Dunbar's  hunt 
the  other  day ;  to-day  we  had  bear  fore  and  aft,  and 
to-morrow  all  hands  will  try  seal.  Our  position  to-day 
is  in  latitude  73°  24'  13"  N.,  and  longitude  178°  34' 
E.,  having  drifted  since  yesterday  the  stupendous  dis- 
tance of  one  and  four  tenths  miles  N.  27°  W.  Any- 
thing, however,  so  long  as  it  is  not  south.  Weather  bright 
and  pleasant ;  brilliant  sunshine  for  the  whole  twenty- 
four  hours  makes  me  deplore  our  inability  to  devote  it 
to  accomplishing  some  good  and  useful  purpose. 

Jnii/  ith,  Sunday.  —  In  reality  this  is  Monday,  July 
5th,  because  we  have  crossed  the  180th  meridian,  and 
should  have  changed  our  date  ;  but  as  I  hope  to  get  east 
again  this  summer,  I  have  seen  fit  to  keep  the  old  reck- 
oning. A  year  ngo  to-day  we  were  in  San  Francisco, 
and  received  a  visit  from  Lord  Loftus,  while  on  his  way 
to  Sydney,  as  Governor  of  New  South  Wales.  At  din- 
ner to-day  we  recalled  that  event.  Ah,  well !  who  can 
tell  what  a  year  will  bring  forth.  We  certainly  have 
not  realized  our  anticipations  by  long  odds ;  and  I  see 
in   the  faces  round  about  me   no   hope  of  so  doing. 


;e  freshness 

Irink  freely 

convenient 

using  sight 

il  all,  on  the 

enijra";ecl  in 

a  ship  was 

;,  that  good 

any  months 

I'd   of  forty 

them  for  a 

had  ducks 

inbar's  hunt 

nd  aft,  and 

ition  to-day 

^le  178°  34' 

end o us  dis- 

\Y.     Any- 

ither  bright 

ole  twenty- 

o  devote  it 

se. 

nday,  Jtdy 
ridian,  and 
to  get  east 
le  old  reek- 
Francisco, 
Ion  his  way 
At  din- 
!  who  can 
[ainly  have 
and  I  see 
so  doing. 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


395 


Stuck  in  the  ice  —  mired,  in  fact,  at  73°  24'  N.,  it  is 
hard  to  liope  that  we  shall  make  any  record  worth  com- 
paring with  any  otlier.  Being  the  first  Sunday  in  the 
month,  we  had,  of  course,  the  Articles  of  War  and 
general  muster  preceding  my  inspection  and  divine  ser- 
vice. 

Julf/  6th,  Monday.  —  Celebrated  the  anniversary  of 
American  Independence  by  dressing  ship  with  ensigns 
at  mast-heads,  and  signals  in  a  rainbow ;  and  1  hope 
American  In  dependence  will  feel  sufficiently  compH- 
mented  by  its  ccisbration  in  this  place  for  the  first  time. 
The  weatlier  prevented  me  from  determining  the  exact 
spot  of  the  celebration  by  observations.  The  latitude, 
73°  26'  7"  N.,  is  all  I  could  get.  Thick  fog  and  a 
searching  mist  made  a  wretched  day.  The  flags  were 
all  covered  with  riuie  and  frost  when  hauled  down, 
and  will  need  several  days'  good  sunning  to  be  dried. 

July  Qth,  Tuesday.  —  All  our  time  and  attention 
were  occupied  to-day  in  collecting  surface  ice  and  thaw- 
ing the  same  in  our  water  tank  for  drinking  and  cooking 
purposes.  The  greatest  care  was  exercised  in  the  se- 
lection of  the  ice ;  but  occasionally  some  would  prove 
to  have  been  dug  too  deeply,  and  would  give  so  much 
salt  in  its  resulting  fluid  as  to  require  rejection.  As  a 
general  rule,  the  soft  snow-like  surface  crust  was  suffi- 
ciently fresh  to  make  a  potable  element ;  but  it'  by  ac- 
cident or  carelessness  the  spade  struck  into  the  under- 
lying ice,  a  salty  solution  was  the  result.  Dr.  Ambler 
and  Chipp  watched  the  matter  closely  and  faithfully, 
repeated  tests  being  made  of  each  barrelful  of  snow 
before  emptying  it  into  the  tank ;  and  I  am  satisfied 
that  every  precaution  was  taken  to  provide  a  sufficiently 
pure  element.  The  change  from  distilled  water  to 
melted  ice  is  a  bold  experiment,  and  only  warranted  by 


I  f  l- 


396 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


i    1 


m  i 


11 


;■.    ' 


h      i^ll 


;       i 


Mj 


our  zeal  to  save  every  pound  of  coal  we  can  for  possi- 
ble steaming  this  summer,  or  keeping  us  warm  next 
winter.  To  quicken  the  process  of  thawing,  a  steam- 
pipe  was  led  from  the  steam-cutter's  boiler  into  the 
tank  on  the  spar  deck,  and  the  steam  driven  into  the 
tank  through  it.  As  our  tj'uik  holds  four  hundred  gal- 
lons, I  am  anxious  to  accumulate  that  quantity  rapidly, 
and  shut  down  on  all  consumption  of  fuel,  except  for 
the  galley,  as  speedily  as  possible.  Parties  going  out 
to  hunt  return  with  the  news  that  the  ship  is  in  the 
centre  of  an  island  of  ice  about  two  and  one  half  miles 
in  diameter,  with  a  narrow  canal  running  around  it. 

July  7th,  Wednesday.  —  We  succeeded  in  getting 
our  tank  fiUed  to-day  with  a  sufficiently  pure  water 
from  melted  surface  ice,  and  I  accordingly  directed  the 
distilling  to  be  stopped.  Thus  we  save  sixty  pounds  of 
coal  per  diem,  and  give  a  rest  to  our  engineer's  depart- 
ment, which  has  been  steadily  employed  in  night  and 
day  watches  all  the  winter  and  spring;  in  fnct,  upon 
the  firemen  and  cc  il-heavers  has  fallen  most  of  the  un- 
comfortable toil,  for  whether  in  distilling,  or  running 
steam-pumps,  or  repairing,  they  have  not  had  an  all- 
night  in  since  November. 

Such  little  pumping  as  is  required,  about  a  dozen 
strokes  every  two  hours,  is  done  b}^  the  man  on  watch 
for  the  time  being,  and  we  have  now  little  beyond  the 
ship's  routine,  except  watching  and  waiting  for  an  open- 
ing in  the  ice  that  will  let  us  free. 

Nowhere  in  my  life  have  I  experienced  or  felt  such 
a  perfect  silence  as  prevails  in  these  icy  wastes  when 
the  wind  dies  away.  It  is  positively  maddening.  After 
ten  p.  M.,  when  all  noise  ceases  on  board  ship,  and  the 
dogs  are  dozing  away  on  ash  heaps  and  dirty  spots 
around  her^  one  standing  a  little  distance  apart  and 


A  FROZEN   SUMMER. 


S97 


lookinjj;  at  the  surroimdiny;s  would  feel  incHncMl  to  be- 
lieve  that  no  life  existed  but  his  own.  On  such  occa- 
sions I  go  a  little  distance  off  and  ruminate  over  our 
past,  and  wonder  as  to  our  future  ;  but  to-night  the  si- 
lence was  so  painful  as  to  easily  induce  ine  to  go  back 
to  the  cabin  where  my  own  kind  could  be  seen  and 
their  voices  heard. 

The  running  of  the  water  over  the  floes  in  lon*^  lanes 
has  made  regular  sluice  ways  through  which  the  melt- 
higs  run  to  lind  the  sea-level.  Our  old  sounding  hole, 
about  one  hundred  yards  on  the  starboard  quarter, 
offers  an  access  to  the  sea,  and  several  streams  have 
scoured  a  wa}'^  or  Iiad  a  way  made  for  them.  This  run- 
ning water  has  wasted  the  ice  away  until  at  the  edges 
of  the  hole  it  is  but  two  feet  thick,  and  covered  with 
six  inches  of  water  swirling  about  like  a  maelstrom. 
Through  this  we  can  see  the  seeming  black  cavern  be- 
low, and  in  the  monotony  which  hangs  around  us  I 
almost  feel  tempted  to  jump  down  it  to  see  where  it 
goes  to. 

July  Sth,  Thursday.  —  I  have  hereinbefore  men- 
tioned that  the  greatest  thickness  of  a  single  floe  seen 
by  us  was  seven  feet  ten  inches,  or  say  roughly  eight 
feet.  When,  after  ramming  the  ship  through  forty 
miles  of  leads  last  September,  she  was  finally  brought 
up,  I  pushed  her  into  a  crevice  between  two  heavy 
floes  which  we  subsequently  found  to  be  thirteen  feet 
in  thickness.  I  think  this  great  depth  was  caused  by 
the  overriding  of  one  floe  on  another,  and  regelation 
under  pressure  having  taken  place,  the  two  became 
united  as  one  mass.  Mr.  Dunbar,  in  his  several  tramps, 
has  met  ice  which  he  describes  as  "so  deep  that  you 
could  now  see  how  deep  it  was."  This  being  rather 
vague,  I  directed  him  to-day  to  take  with  him  a  line, 


398 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


I 

:  ii 


I'il^ 


I 


1'  i.4tt    ■«. 


i  J 


witli  hook  attachef],  to  catch  under  these  floes,  and  thus 
give  a  measure  of  their  thickness.  Upon  his  return 
he  reports  that  he  measured  floes  ton  and  twelve  feet 
thick,  and  some  fourteen  and  fifteen  feet  thick,  and  the 
surface  was  "  from  a  foot  to  eighteen  inches  above  the 
water."  It  is,  of  course,  impossible  that  ;<uch  thick- 
nesses should  be  ascribed  to  any  one  single  floe.  I  am 
satisfied  that  when  water  has  frozen  to  a  thickness  of 
eight  feet  the  ice  forms  a  blanket  which  effectually 
prevents  the  radiation  of  heat  from  the  water  beneath, 
and  thus  makes  further  freezing  impossible.  Any 
further  thickness  is  due  to  deposits  of  snow  on  the  sur- 
face, or  the  shoving  under  of  another  floe  and  a  union 
by  regelation  between  the  two.  When,  last  November, 
we  were  squeezed  out  of  our  icy  bed  and  pushed  out 
into  water,  we  were  as  truly  floating  for  a  time  as  if  in 
mid-ocean.  The  next  day,  however,  we  were  iced  in. 
This  freezing  continued  from  November  28th  to  Janu- 
ary 17th,  by  which  latter  date  the  ice  had  a  thickness 
of  forty-eight  inches  (four  feet).  Subsequent  measure- 
ments were  rendered  impossible  by  the  smash  up  of 
the  19th  of  January,  when  floes  so  overrode  and  under- 
rode  our  surrounding  ice  as  to  jumble  it  all  in  a  heap. 
When  we  commenced  to  dig  a  canal  around  the  ship  we 
dug  through  four  feet  of  ice  before  the  water  flowed  in 
on  us,  but  that  depth  was  due  to  piling  up,  of  course, 
and  not  to  any  direct  freezing.  As  our  leak  has  almost 
altogether  subsided,  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  we  are 
buoyed  up  by  a  floe  of  ice  extending  down  and  under 
the  keel,  which  floe,  being  lightened  by  its  surface 
thaAving  under  the  ashes  and  refuse  we  had  spread 
around  us,  is  enabled  to  float  so  much  higher.  One  of 
these  days,  let  us  hope,  this  mass  will  break  and  let  us 
down  to  our  bearings. 


A  FIIOZEX  SUMMER. 


399 


IS,  {itid  thus 
his   return 
twelve  feet 
ck,  and  the 
3  above  the 
:?uch  thick- 
floe.     I  am 
thickness  of 
effectually 
ter  beneath, 
iible.      Any 
on  the  sur- 
and  a  union 
:  November, 
pushed  out 
time  as  if  in 
ere  iced  in. 
8th  to  Janu- 
a  thickness 
nt  measure- 
|mash   up  of 
and  under- 
in  a  heap, 
the  ship  we 
er  flowed  in 
I,  of  course, 
k  has  almost 
hat  we  are 
and  under 
its  surface 
had   spread 
ler.     One  of 
k  and  let  us 


July  dth,  Friday.  —  The  events  of  the  day  may  be 
summed  up  in  a  few  words.  Our  position  shows  a  drift 
of  one  mile  to  S.  24°  E.  Encouraging,  very.  We  loose 
sails  for  the  first  time  in  over  ten  months,  and  find 
them  just  as  good  as  they  were  the  day  they  were  last 
furled. 

July  IQth,  Saturday.  —  A  day  of  almost  steady  rain 
and  fog,  and,  to  my  sensation,  more  disagreeable  in 
temperature  tlian  the  coldest  weather  of  winter.  The 
thermometer  ranged  between  30°  and  34.5",  but  the 
dampness  and  moisture  seemed  to  pierce  to  the  bone 
and  marrow. 

July  llfh,  Sunday.  —  I  succeeded  in  establishing  our 
position  to-day  in  latitude  73°  38'  N.,  longitude  177° 
59'  30"  E.,  showing  a  drift  since  the  9th  of  one  and 
four  tenths  miles  to  N.  68°  E.  This  seems  to  be  worse 
and  worse,  for  at  this  rate  before  many  days  we  shall 
stand  absolute! v  still.  It  is  a\vfully  discouraging  to 
wait  a  couple  of  days  for  a  sight  of  the  sun  (and  hope, 
meanwhile,  that  you  are  drifting  in  some  decent  man- 
ner), and  find  at  last  that  you  have  moved  a  mile. 
Had  the  usual  Sunday  inspection,  followed  by  divine 
service. 

Since  the  distilling  has  ceased  we  light  a  wood  fire 
in  the  galley  each  evening  to  boil  the  tea  water.  Our 
empty  barrels  and  boxes  have  accumulated  largely,  so 
we  have  quite  a  supply  to  fall  back  upon  for  occasional 
fires  instead  of  using  coal. 

Jtdy  I'dth,  Tuesday.  —  Observations  to-day  show  a 
drift  since  yesterday  of  three  and  seven  tenths  miles  to 
N.  13°  ^y.  We  seem  to  be  coming  up  slowly,  ice  and 
all,  as  indicated  by  the  gradual  falling  of  the  water- 


5°  to  starboard  still,  and 


level  on  our  hull.     Heeling 

that  is  also  slightly  increasing.     Of  course  I  cannot  say 


:i 


400 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


?r  i'  i 


u  * 


!)    Ill 


when  this  ^vill  stop.  In  order  to  get  an  idea  of  the  cor- 
rect thickness  of  the  ice  in  our  neighborliood  (in  case 
subsequent  emergency  should  make  it  advisable  to  dig 
or  saw  out  a  dock,  if  possible,  and  make  an  effort  to 
drag  the  ship  into  it),  1  directed  Chipp  to  make  bor- 
ings, and  he  reports,  as  far  as  can  be  made  out,  the 
situation  as  follows  :  — 

The  ship  is  held  firmly  by  a  cradle  of  ice  which,  from 
the  mainmast  aft,  averages  five  feet  in  thickness.  (Un- 
der the  stem  it  is  five  feet  four  inches  thick  below  the 
surface  of  the  water.)  From  ahead  to  the  mainmast, 
about,  there  is  a  second  fioe  piece  which  shoved  under 
the  first  iioe  on  January  19th. 

Thickness  of  ice  below  the  surface  of  the  water :  — 


Under  tlie  stem 


5  ft.  4  in. 


60  ft.  astern 4  ft.  3  in. 


4  ft  " 


o  in. 


5  ft.  0  in. 


100  ft.  astern 

150  ft.  astern       

250  yds.  starboard  quarter 5  ft.  0  in. 

The  ice  as  a  general  thing  has  its  surface  about  four 
inches  above  the  level  of  the  water.  This  is  whtit  is 
left  of  the  direct  freezing  since  November  30,  1879,  of 
course  thawing  having  taken  place  on  the  surface  by 
reason  of  the  sun's  rays,  and  underneath  by  action  of 
the  warmth  of  the  water,  say  34°. 

In  company  with  Melville  and  Dunbar  I  walked  one 
of  Mr.  Dunbar's  mije  estimates  (about  two  and  a  half 
miles  in  fact)  to  the  S.  E.,  where  there  has  been  an 
opening  affording  seal  shooting.  In  a  straight  line,  as 
a  bird  would  fly,  it  is  about  one  and  a  quarter  miles  dis- 
tant, the  increased  amount  being  caused  by  necessary 
detours,  to  go  around  small  ponds  which  one  cannot 
jump  over,  and  which  are  in  places  over  one's  boot-tops 
in  depth.     These  are,  of  course,  formed  from  surface 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


401 


thawing.  Arrived  at  the  "open  water"  it  proved  to 
be  nearly  closed,  a  width  of  six  feet  only  allowing  a 
look  down  in  the  depths  below.  The  ice  seemed  to  be 
about  four  feet  in  thickness,  but  looking  only  was  very 
deceptive.  In  this  precious  lane  there  floated  a  broken 
portion  of  the  Hoe,  and  anxious  to  realize  the  sensation 
of  being  under  way  again  I  embarked  on  it  and  pushed 
myself  across.  Near  the  old  opening  there  was  consid- 
erable dirty  ice,  with  shells  and  small  pebbles,  showing 
that  this  ice  had  been  on  the  bottom,  or  had  rubbe<l 
along  the  land,  or  (query?)  was  it  refuse  matter  left  on 
it  by  a  walrus?  Near  by  we  found  a  log  of  birch  (?), 
heavy  from  water  soaking,  but  sound  and  fresh  at  the 
fractured  end.  Not  being  able  to  bring  it  in  we  stuck 
it  up  in  a  hummock,  that  some  men  might  let  their 
dogs  drag  it  in  to-morrow.  We  started  with  three 
dogs,  but  not  liking  to  wet  their  feet  they  ran  away 
from  us  and  returned  to  the  ship. 

July  \ith,  Wednesday.  —  Having  great  difficulty  in 
getting  any  work  out  of  our  "  hoodlum  gang,"  Jack, 
Tom,  and  Wolf,  a  method  of  punishment  had  to  be  de- 
vised. Ordinarily  they  lie  around  on  ash-heaps  all  day 
in  the  sun,  blinking  lazily,  and  ready  to  head  an  attack 
on  some  wandering  dog  in  search  of  a  bone,  or  more 
particularly  sallying  out  to  meet  some  dog  returning 
v/ith  the  hunters,  who  has  incurred  their  grav  ('"s- 
pleasure  by  assisting  at  any  work.  The  sight  oi  a 
harness,  merely,  reminds  them  of  a  pressing  engage- 
ment elsewhere;  and  the  moving  of  a  dog  sled  in  their 
range  of  vision  seems  suggestive  of  the  advisability  of 
a  change  of  base.  Accordingly,  each  morning,  when 
the  ice  has  to  be  dragged  in  for  melting,  these  three 
are  occupied  in  surveying  the  work  from  a  distance 
until  it  is  completed,  and  then  they  unite  in  an  attack 

26 


i,l! 


402 


TIIK   VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


Hi 


Ui 


»l     !    (I  M     ' 


M 


;  '   i 


n 


I    !■' 


on  those  who  did  tho  (h'iigging.  Tlioy  wore  oiiught  by 
stnitouv  to-(hiv,  howover,  and  liariK'ssod  up;  but  Tom 
sbpped  his  hariK'ss  (]uiotly  and  bolted,  while  Wolf 
chewed  his  throu»'h  and  eseape<l.  When  caught  they 
were  securely  tied  to  u  ro[)e  over  the  stern,  and  k(>pt 
there  until  ten  r.  m.,  when,  in  order  that  their  howl^ 
might  not  keep  everybody  awake,  they  were  anchored 
with  nn  ice-claw  some  distance  off.  This  disgusted 
them.  Tom  took  his  punishment  solemnly  and  quietly, 
but  Wolf  yelled  incessantly,  so  much  so,  that  Tom  got 
provoked  and  thrashed  him  twice  into  silence. 

Position  to-day,  latitude  N.  73"  42'  50",  longitude  E. 
178'  r,  showing  a  drift  since  yesterday  of  three  and 
two  tenths  miles  due  E.  Much  fog  and  mist,  and  occa- 
sional drizzling  rain,  throui-hout  the  da  v.  About  one 
and  a  fourth  miles  N.  W.  of  the  ship  there  is  a  lane 
of  water  one  fourth  mile  in  width,  and  extending  W. 
Mr.  Dunbar  plans  going  to  it  to-morrow  and  cruising 
on  it  in  our  skin  boat.  This  is  the  baidera  received  at 
St.  Michael's,  which  was  originally  forty  feet  long,  but 
we  have  cut  it  down  to  about  twentv-five  feet,  makinjic 
it  more  portable,  and  when  not  in  use  easily  hoisted 
under  our  cutter. 

Jitly  Ibth,  llmrsdaij.  —  Mr.  Dunbar  started  out  this 
morning,  but  soon  returned,  having  found  the  lead  of 
yesterday  all  closed  up.  Thus  do  things  change  in  this 
part  of  the  world.  We  made  the  discovery  this  morn- 
ing that  the  ship  had  come  up  one  inch  forward,  and 
gone  down  an  inch  aft,  caused  probably  by  the  encra- 
dling  underlying  ice  having  melted  sufficiently  to 
change  the  point  of  support  farther  forward.  It  will 
give  us  something  to  watch  from  day  to  day. 

The  forenoon  gave  us  very  fine  weather.  At  noon  I 
got  the  latitude,  showing,  1  am  sorry  to  say,  a  small 


caught  by 
;  but  Tom 
^hilo  Wolt 
lught  thoy 
,  and  kept 
:boii'  howls 
i  iinehoroil 
i  disguslod 
lud  quietly, 
it  Tom  got 
e. 
ngitudc  E. 

three  and 
t,  and  ocea- 

About  one 
e  is  a  lane 
;cnding  W. 
nd  cruising 
received  at 

t  long,  but 
■et,  making 

ily  hoisted 

;d  out  this 
the  lead  of 
Inge  in  this 
I  this  morn- 
irward,  and 
the  encra- 
[ciently  to 
Id.     It  will 

1  At  noon  I 
r,  a  small 


A  FIIOZKN   SUMMER. 


A(y^ 


southing.  At  two  o'clock  the  sky  became  overcast,  and 
from  that  time  to  midnight  we  had  rain,  mist,  and  thick 
foj'.  Althou'di  no  material  change  occurred  in  the 
temperature  (at  midnight  it  was  02"^),  the  sensation  of 
cold  was  increased  about  lUO  jier  cent.  The  mist,  fog, 
and  rain  seemed  to  penetrate  to  one's  mariow  in  the 
most  aggravating  manner,  and  reminded  him  forcibly 
of  the  warmer  times  we  have  been  accustomed  to  at 
home,  where  no  doul)t  this  afternoon  our  friends  have 
been  sulTering  from  heat  and  sighing  for  ice  a^id  the 
shade. 

And  thus,  with  our  routine  of  eating,  drinking,  and 
sleeping,  hoiu'ly  weathe  '  observations,  and  the  work  of 
the  ship,  the  day  comes  to  an  end,  and,  in  the  language 
of  Mr.  Wilfer,  we  can  exclaim,  ''  Another  one  of  them 


gone. 


Jidt/  Idth,  Frldaij. — Our  observations  to-day  show 
a  drift  since  the  14th  of  nine  miles  to  S.  43°  E.  Rather 
discouniging  as  to  direction,  but  hopeful  as  showing  a 
loose  condition  of  the  ice,  which  admits  of  our  readily 
moving  in  compliance  with  the  wind.  The  open  water 
{i.  e.  a  crack  in  the  ice),  one  and  a  half  miles  S.  E.  of 
the  ship,  has  widened  somewhat,  and  beyond  it  the  ice 
seems  broken  up  in  large  blocks,  though  from  their 
uneven  surfaces  we  cannot  tell  for  how  great  a  distance 
this  broken  condition  extends. 

While  Mr.  Dunbar  and  Alexey  were  out  to-day,  the 
latter  shot  a  seal,  and  apparently  killed  it,  as  it  lay 
stretched  out  on  the  ice.  It  was,  however,  only  stunned, 
for,  as  Alexey  approached  it,  it  made  for  the  water. 
Quickening  his  steps  he  reached  it  in  time  to  grab  it 
by  the  hind  flipper,  in  an  effort  to  hold  it.  But  Mr. 
Seal  was  too  sharp  for  Alexey,  and  managed  to  wriggle 
out  of  his  grasp. 


.'  ,1  • 


■i.  :  II 


404 


THE  VOYAGE   OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


f'f  H! 


), 


This  seems  to  be  the  time  for  shedding  the  coat,  as 
all  our  captures  are  made  while  the  seal  is  out  of  water, 
getting  rid  of  his  old  coat  by  friction  on  the  ice.  But 
they  are  rare  in  this  neighborhood,  for  some  reason  or 
other.  Had  the  spruce  (?)  log  brought  in  which  we 
found  the  other  day. 

Juli/  17th,  Saturday.  —  A  day  of  not  much  interest. 
Much  fog,  mist,  and  rain  prevailed,  and  during  the  af- 
ternoon snow  fell.  This  is  a  nice  showing  for  the  17th 
day  of  July,  indeed.  So  slack  does  the  ice  seem,  that 
a  shift  of  wind  is  immediately  noticeable  in  our  change 
of  drift. 

July  18^/i,  Sunday.  —  Another  week  has  come  and 
gone,  jind  here  we  are  yet  held  in  bondage.  This  kind 
of  life  is  most  discournging.  If  we  were  only  drifting 
toward  our  goal,  we  would  be  somewhat  content ;  but 
alas!  we  are  steadily  drifting  away  from  it:  or,  if  in 
our  enforced  idleness  we  were  accomplishing  anything 
for  the  good  of  science  or  human  nature,  it  would  be  a 
comfort,  —  but  instead  of  either  we  are  simply  burning 
coal  to  cook  food  to  consume  day  after  day.  Over  ten 
months  of  this  imprisonment  have  we  had,  and  in  fact 
were  it  not  that  a  certain  indefinable,  and  I  confess  in- 
explicable something,  keeps  telling  me  all  will  come 
out  right  yet,  I  could  hardly  assign  any  reason  why  it 
should  not  last  any  multiple  of  ten  months  more.  Cur- 
rents there  are  none,  except  such  as  are  created  locally 
and  temporarily  by  a  wind.  ?ce-saw.  see-saw  N.  W. 
with  a  S.  E.  wind,  and  then  S.  E.  with  a  N.  W.  wind, 
and  the  same  result  with  any  other  two  succeeding 
winds.  The  surface  water  shows  no  increase  of  tem- 
perature tliat  is  not  due  to  the  air,  and  the  bottom 
water  has  a  temperature  of  30°.  Inspected  the  ^\\\h 
and  read  divine  service,  thus,  as  it  were,  making  the 


A   FROZEN  SUMMER. 


405 


mark  that  distinguishes  Sunday  from  other  days  in  this 
part  of  the  world  as  well  as  in  other  parts. 

Juhj  ]  \)th,  Monday.  —  I  cannot  help  thinking,  as  I 
turn  over  a  new  leaf  and  commen.o  a  fresh  page,  that 
I  am  wasting  stationery  in  keeping  a  daily  record  of  so 
unimportant  matter  as  our  daily  life.  Each  night  I  am 
forced  to  admit  that  another  day  of  our  short  season 
is  slipping  away  without  any  result  worthy  of  the  spirit 
which  conceived,  and  the  enterprise  which  carried  into 
effect,  this  present  Arctic  expedition.  And  the  realiza- 
tion of  our  utter  impotence  to  change  our  fate  in  any 
way  makes  such  an  admission  doubly  disagreeable.  A 
bear  in  a  trap,  a  bird  in  a  cage,  a  ship  in  the  ice,  fire 
alike  held  in  bondage  sharp  and  galling. 

Of  late,  when  one  is  tempted  to  feel  blue,  the  sun, 
which,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  induces  cheerful- 
ness, rather  adds  to  our  disgust.  For  as  that  luminary 
provides  means  of  determining  our  position,  we  are  in- 
formed on  each  occasion  how  far  we  have  gone  back- 
wards ;  or,  in  other  woids,  how  much  nearer  we  are  to 
the  South  Pole  aud  hosv  much  farther  from  the  North 
Pole.  To-day,  for  example,  we  get  observations  for  the 
first  time  since  the  ICth,  and  find  we  have  been  drift- 
ing, in  these  three  days  past,  thirteen  and  four  tenths 
miles  to  S.  8°  W.  And  this,  despite  the  fact  that  we 
have  been  having  W.  and  N.  W.  winds.  Job  is  re- 
corded to  have  had  many  trials  and  tribulations  which 
he  bore  with  wonrlorful  patience ;  but  so  far  as  is 
known  he  was  never  caught  in  pack  ice  and  drifted  S. 
and  W.  with  W.  winds. 

Hoping  to  see  something  consoling,  I  took  a  team  of 
dogs  out  to-day  to  the  S.  E.,  to  the  open  lane  of  water; 
and  after  having  been  run  away  with  twice  and  brought 
back  to  the  ship  by  the  dogs,  1  was  f creed  to  secure 


406 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


( 


v^i 


S  I      i 


I     I H 


SI  •  m 


m 


Hv'f 


the  services  of  Aloxey  to  get  me  to  my  destination. 
A  white  man  inspires  no  fear  among  these  animals. 
Reaching  the  open  water  I  found  it  was  about  one 
fourth  of  a  mile  in  width,  enough  to  handle  a  vessel  in 
under  steam,  but  made  a  circle  around  the  ship  irreg- 
ularly. I  am  satisfied  that  nearly  all  the  ice  in  our 
neighborhood  is  of  this  last  winter's  formation,  having 
frozen  over  the  small  lake  into  which  we  were  squeezed 
out  from  among  the  heavy  ice  on  November  2oth  last. 
The  borders  of  our  island  are  formed  of  ice  of  great 
thickness,  perhaps  forty  feet  thick,  whose  surfaces  are 
about  three  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water.  The  ice 
which  immediately  surrounds  us  has  an  average  thick- 
ness of  say  five  feet,  except  where  crowding,  as  for 
instance  under  our  bows,  has  caused  one  layer  to  ride 
over  or  under  another,  making  a  thickness  of  ten  or 
fifteen  feet. 

Owing  to  decay,  the  cradle  of  ice  holding  the  ship 
is  becoming  specifically  lighter,  and  buoying  us  up  ; 
for  to-day  the  water-level  stands  at  seven  feet  four 
inches  forward,  and  eleven  feet  eight  and  a  fourth 
inches  aft.  We  are  also  slowly  increasing  our  heel 
to  starboard,  it  being  now  5^°. 

July  20th,  Tuesday.  —  A  day  of  no  importance  what- 
ever. Desiring  to  learn  something  of  the  character  of 
the  ice  at  the  borders  of  our  island,  I  started  at  one 
p.  M.,  accompanied  by  Melville  and  Dunbar  and  a  heavy 
dog  team.  Going  out  to  southeast,  we  got  around  to 
west  in  about  two  hours  and  a  half ;  but  as  the  sledg- 
ing was  in  some  places  very  bad  over  broken  ice, 
the  time  was  much  longer  than  the  actual  dstance 
would  have  required  if  on  a  level.  The  character  of 
the  ice  is  as  indicated  in  yesterday's  record,  —  one 
season's  ice  near  the  ship,  and  old  and  very  heavy  ice 


m. 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


407 


on  the  borders.  Excepting  a  very  narrow  lead  at  west 
going  a  short  distance  to  north,  I  saw  no  way  of  get- 
ting ont  of  this  neighborhood,  even  if  we  were  alloat 
and  at  hberty  to  move.  As  far  as  our  floating  is  con- 
cerned, that  must  be  left  to  time.  To-day  the  water- 
level  if!  at  seven  feet  four  inches  forward,  and  eleven 
feet  nine  and  one  half  inches  aft,  and  our  heel  5^  to 
starboard. 

Gloomy,  disagreeable  weather.  Surely  we  must  be 
having  a  backward  summer  to  have  such  a  state  of  af- 
fairs at  this  date.  As  an  addition  to  our  trophies,  a 
branch  of  birch  and  the  skull  of  a  codfish  were  brouixht 
in  to-day. 

Juhf  21.s7,  Wednesday.  —  Temperature  between  31° 
and  o4°,  making  one  feel  cold  to  the  marrow  of  the 
bones.  I  can  safely  say  that  I  did  not  feel  one  half  as 
uncomfortable  during  the  winter,  with  a  temperature  of 
minus  30°,  as  I  do  now  at  a  temperature  of  plus  30°. 
The  first  was  a  hard,  dry  cold,  which  seemed  to  strike 
but  glance  off,  while  the  last  is  a  soft,  wet  cold  that 
penetrates  at  once. 

Jidif  22(7,  Thursday.  —  This  afternoon  I  started  out 
with  Melville,  Dunbar,  Aneguin,  and  a  dog  team,  to  see 
some  more  of  our  ice-island.  I  succeeded,  however,  in 
getting  .ir'^und  from  west  to  north  only,  the  traveling 
being  very  rough  indeed.  Arriving  at  north,  I  found 
the  lane  of  water  closing  up,  the  five  foot  (one  sea- 
son's) ice  piling  up  in  huge  slabs  on  some  very  old  and 
heavy  ice.  The  sight  and  the  sound  quite  carried  me 
back  tc  our  experience  during  the  winter.  As  the  soft 
state  of  the  surfaces  rendered  impossible  the  high 
scream  which  we  used  to  listen  to,  there  was  not  much 
of  the  terror  inspired  ;  but  one  coidd  not  help  being 
impressed  with  the  tremendous  force  with  which  these 


11 


:i.f; 


*'i  "I- 


m^Y 


408 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


blocks  were  crushed  along,  reared  up,  and  tumbled  over, 
and  the  silent  grinning  "  surge  "  with  which  the  force 
continued  when  one  w^ould  suppose  it  counteracted  and 
ended.  Here  I  was  ready  to  turn  back,  having  been 
out  three  hours,  and  being  wet  through  from  wading 
and  being  dragged  through  ponds  too  wide  to  go 
around  without  immensely  increasing  the  distance. 

A  truly  wretched  day,  —  squally,  rainy,  snowy,  and 
what  not.  At  six  a.  m.  Chipp  required  seven  letters  to 
record  the  state  of  the  weather,  —  o.  c.  m.  q.  p.  r.  s., 
—  which  shows  it  must  have  been  somewhat  mixed. 

The  surface  of  the  water  stands  to-day  seven  feet  two 
and  three  fourths  inches  forward,  and  eleven  feet  eleven 
and  three  fourths  inches  aft,  the  ship  slowly  coming  up 
forward  and  settling  down  aft.  A  careful  calculation 
shows  that  this  gradual  settling  is  increasing  the  leak 

o  o  o 

slightly,  for  we  now  require  317  strokes  of  the  pump  in 
twenty-four  hours  against  240  a  week  ago ;  but  as  both 
amounts  are  very  trivial  they  are  not  worthy  of  serious 
attention.  Our  windmill  stands  ready  for  work  when- 
ever there  is  any  occasion  for  it. 

Jidi/  2od,  Friday.  —  Fog  and  mist  and  a  little  snow. 
Are  we  to  have  no  summer  at  all  ? 

July  24^/i,  Saturday.  —  A  day  as  uninteresting  as 
yesterday,  and  it  seems  a  waste  of  ink  and  paper  to 
mention  it.  A  little  rain,  a  little  snow,  and  general  dis- 
comfort. And  worse  than  all,  buu  one  more  month  re- 
mains of  an  Arctic  season,  and  here  we  are  held  as  if 
in  a  vise. 

Jidy  2^th,  Sunday.  —  One  week  more  of  summer  has 
passed  and  gone,  and  we  seem  nearer  to  another  vviuter 
than  to  any  successful  result.  Regularly  as  clock-work 
we  perform  the  same  duties  day  after  day,  finding  each 
morning  the  same  surroundings  we  had  the  day  before. 


A  FROZEN  SUxMMER. 


409 


little  snow. 


The  monotony  of  doing  nothing  but  waiting,  waiting,  is 
very  trying.  If  we  only  had  land  in  sight  anywhere,  I 
think  we  would  risk  a  journey  to  it.  Divine  service 
followed  inspection,  as  is  usual  on  Sundays.  Seal  at 
dinner,  with  macaroni,  tomatoes,  etc.,  etc.,  as  per  bill 
of  fare,  and  a  glass  of  sherry  with  our  corn  starch  pud- 
ding.    As  far  as  food  goes  we  are  in  luxury. 

Got  to-day  our  first  oogook  [Phoca  harhata  — 
bearded  seal),  shot  by  Aneguin.  She  was  eight  feet 
long,  and  while  her  flesh  is  valuable  for  dog  food  her 
skin  will  make  boot  soles. 

July  2Qth,  Monday.  —  An  unfortunate  accident  oc- 
curred to-day.  Alexey  had  been  out  shooting,  and 
brought  back  for  examination  a  Remington  cartridge, 
which  had  failed  to  explode  in  his  rifle.  Sitting  down 
quietly,  without  any  one  noticing  what  he  was  about,  he 
placed  the  cartridge  between  the  thumb  and  finger  of 
his  left  hand  while  he  picked  away  at  the  fulminate  cap 
with  his  knife  in  his  right  hand.  Suddenly  the  cartridge 
exploded,  and  without  detaching  the  bullet  the  shell 
flew  out  into  ragged  edges,  which  cut  Alexey's  left  hand 
sadly,  besides  badly  burning  it  with  the  powder.  He 
was  at  once  a  much  demoralized  native,  the  shock  af- 
fecting him  considerably.  The  doctor,  of  course,  at 
once  took  hold  of  the  patient,  and  nothing  serious  is  to 
be  anticipated,  beyond  deprivation  of  his  services  for 
some  days.  The  chances  are  that  Alexey  will  be  more 
respectfid  in  his  dealings  with  ammunition. 

Generally  speaking,  the  day  was  as  gloomy  as  its 
predecessors.  An  almost  steady  fall  of  light  snow  until 
nine  A.  M.,  and  this  is  the  height  of  summer  ! 

Some  day  or  other  some  one,  myself  perhaps,  looking 
over  these  pages  will  complain  of  their  sameness  and 
lack  of  interest.     The  popular  idea  is,  no  doubt,  that 


I    i 


■,h 


K 


,'  t: 


i  s 


'•iiiiin  a 


"     si 


\    M 


If'' 


410 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


the  record  of  daily  life  in  the  Arctic  regions  should  be 
vivid,  exciting,  Jind  full  of  hair-breadth  escapes,  or  en- 
joyable and  profitable  because  of  the  acquisition  of  valu- 
able information.  If  the  popular  idea  is  the  correct  one, 
how  dull  and  weary  and  unprofitable  will  the  record  of 
our  cruise  have  been  !  I  confess  to  so  much  disappoint- 
ment and  mortification  that  I  am  ashamed  each  day  to 
make  an  entry  in  this  book,  and  willingly  defer  it  to  the 
last  moments  before  going  to  bed.  What  can  I  say  that 
has  not  already  been  said  over  and  over  again  ?  Here 
we  are,  held  fast  in  the  ice,  drifting  south  instead  of 
north,  powerless  to  change  our  movement  an  inch,  hop- 
ing to-day  that  to-morruw  will  bring  a  change;  realizing 
to-morrow,  wdien  it  becomes  "  to-day,"  that  it  is  the 
same  as  yesterday  was;  seeing  a  summer  (?)  slip  by 
without  doing  anything  to  retrieve  our  reputation  or 
make  us  worthy  of  being  numbered  in  the  list  of  Arctic 
expeditions ;  full  of  health  and  energy,  with  zeal  to 
dare  anything,  and  yet  like  captives  behind  bars  :  add 
all  these  together,  as  making  up  the  sum  of  one's  sen- 
sations and  experiences,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
surroundings  are  hardly  favorable  to  glowing  narrative 
or  absorbing  tale. 

So  thoroughly  do  we  feel  that  we  are  accomplishing 
nothing,  that  some  of  us  think  that  the  food  we  eat  and 
the  coal  burned  to  cook  it  are  utter  and  absolute  waste. 
Of  what  avail  are  health  and  energy  if  we  can  m;i!:eno 
use  of  them  ?  In  the  world  we  are  not  judged  by  what 
we  can  do,  but  by  what  we  actually  perform.  In  the 
case  of  an  Arctic  expedition,  judgment  is  passed  on  re- 
sults and  not  on  the  zeal  or  intention.  A  ship  having 
the  North  Pole  for  an  objective  point  must  get  to  the 
Pole,  otherwise  her  best  efforts  are  a  failure.  No  mat- 
ter what  the  difficulties,  or  troubles,  or  accidents,  the 


A   FROZEN   SUiMMER. 


411 


failure  to  do  the  specified  thing  stands  out  in  bold  let- 
ters. So  with  us.  We  started  for  the  Pole  ;  we  are  be- 
set in  the  pack  in  71°  plus ;  we  drift  northwest ;  our 
ship  is  injured,  and  we  have  to  burn  coal  to  save  her; 
we  drift  back  southeast ;  we  are  passing  our  second  sum- 
mer more  unprofitably  than  our  first,  for  then  we  were 
moving.  No  matter  how  much  we  have  endured,  no 
matter  how  often  we  have  been  in  jeopardy,  no  matter 
that  we  bring  the  ship  and  ourselves  back  to  our  start- 
ing-point, no  matter  if  we  were  absent  ten  years  in- 
stead of  one,  —  we  have  failed,  inasmuch  as  we  did  not 
reach  the  Pole ;  and  we  and  our  narratives  together  are 
thrown  into  the  world's  dreary  waste-basket,  and  re- 
called and  remembered  only  to  be  vilified  or  ridiculed. 

And  yet  I  would  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  imply- 
ing we  hav6  given  up  the  fight.  We  look  for  to-mor- 
row with  just  the  same  faith  and  with  as  great  expec- 
tations as  we  did  on  the  1st  of  June.  liut  we  do  not 
spend  to-day  in  idleness  for  all  that.  A  full  meteoro- 
logical record  is  kept,  soundings  are  taken,  the  dredge 
is  hauled,  specific  gravities  and  sea  temperatures  are 
taken,  astronomical  observations  made  and  positions 
computed,  dip  and  declination  of  the  needle  observed 
and  recorded,  experiments  made  with  ice  and  snow  and 
surface  water,  birds  shot  and  skinned,  seals  hunted, 
mechanics  employed,  ship's  routine  carried  out,  etc. ; 
everything  we  can  do  is  done  as  faithfully,  as  strictly, 
as  mathematically  as  if  we  were  a^  the  Pole  itself,  or  the 
lives  of  millions  depended  on  our  adherence  to  routine. 
Not  a  word  is  said  about  going  back.  Occasionally  a 
trip  is  proposed  somewhere,  —  to  Paris,  to  Naples,  to  the 
West  Indies,  —  to  come  off  "  one  of  these  dava  when  we 
get  back."  We  go  on  with  the  regularit}'^  of  a  man- 
of-war  in  port.     We  look  upon  this  place  —  the  pack 


412 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


—  as  a  kind  of  Key  "West  or  Aspinwall,  dull  as  a  hoe 
and  dreary  to  stay  in,  but  bound  to  come  in  sometimes 
in  a  three  years'  cruise  in  those  neighborhoods.  And 
Jack's  philosophy,  "  It  is  all  in  a  cruise,  boys ;  the  more 
days  the  more  dollars,"  comes  in  well  apropos. 

July  2701,  Tuesday.  —  Excellent  observations  to-day 
show  us  a  drift  of  one  mile  south  since  yesterday. 
Light  snow  falls  nearly  all  day,  and  the  temperature 
rises  from  26°  to  30° !     Ye  gods,  ye  gods  ! 

July  2Sth,  Wednesday.  —  A  gloomy,  disagreeable  day, 
and  a  mile  further  south  than  yesterday. 

July  2dth,  Thursday.  —  To-day  becomes  memorable 
as  showing  that  we  are  again  at  the  180th  meridian. 
Since  the  27th  we  have  drifted  seventeen  and  two 
tenths  miles  to  N.  84°  E. 

As  I  did  not  change  our  date  when  we  passed  to  the 
westward  of  the  180th  meridian  on  the  5th  of  May,  no 
confusion  of  dates  now  occurs,  although  we  were  longer 
in  getting  to  the  eastward  again  than  I  had  anticipated. 
I  am  glad  that  I  did  not  change  the  date,  for  were  we 
to  vibrate  from  one  side  to  the  other  an  endless  per- 
plexity would  follow  any  attempt  to  settle  upon  any 
particular  date  for  an  occurrence.  Our  great  drift 
seems  to  show  that  the  ice  is  slacker  to  the  eastward 
of  us  than  to  the  northward,  for  though  in  obedience  to 
a  strong  S.  and  S.  S.  W.  wind  we  should  have  gone  N. 
or  N.  N.  E.,  we  have  in  reality  gone  E.  and  a  half  N. 
What  is  in  store  for  us  it  is  impossible  to  anticipate. 
If  we  have  not  had  our  summer  yet,  we  may  hope  ^:o 
do  something  next  month.  If  our  summer  has  come 
and  gone,  then,  alas,  our  chances  are  slim.  If  one  could 
see  into  tht  future  how  much  anxiety  might  be  spared 
in  the  present.  It  is  very  hard  to  realize  that  all  our 
hopes  and  expectations  should  result  in  a  weary  drift 


hm 


A  FROZEN  SUiMMEIl. 


413 


of  two  winters  in  the  ice-pack,  and  it  is  difficult  for  a 
vivid  imagination  to  see  anything  else  if  this  be  the 
warmest  weather  we  can  have  this  year. 

Mr.  Dunbar,  whose  duties  as  ice-pilot  are  limited  to 
daily  visits  to  the  crow's-nest  for  a  look  at  our  sur- 
roundings, discovered  this  afternoon  tluit  a  crack  had 
occurred  in  the  ice  about  half  a  mile  north  of  us,  and 
extending  for  a  short  distance  east  and  west.  Going 
out  to  examine  he  found  it  about  fifty  yards  in  extent, 
it  being  merely  a  separation  of  the  old  and  heavy  last 
winter's  ice  which  surrounds  us. 

July  oOth,  Friday.  —  Our  stiff  breeze  still  continues. 
So  melancholy  has  been  our  proceeding  during  the  last 
two  months  that  we  welcome  any  change  of  direction 
as  an  improvement.  We  know  that  we  could  make 
nothing  going  N.  W".,  and  we  liope  we  may  do  some- 
thing going  E.  or  N.  E. 

July  31st,  Saturday.  —  The  last  day  of  the  week,  the 
last  day  of  the  month,  and  this  page  can  end  together. 
If  this  month  is  a  sample  of  July  weather  here  gener- 
ally, I  do  not  want  to  see  any  more  of  it. 

August  1st,  Sunday.  —  The  new  month  cannot  be 
said  to  open  cheerfully,  for  we  have  our  ci'slomary 
snow,  rain,  fog,  and  mist,  with  an  overcast  sky  all  day. 
At  midnight  we  have  the  cheerful  spectacle  of  salt-wa- 
ter freezing  on  the  1st  of  August.  On  the  first  Sun- 
day of  the  month,  of  course,  we  had  the  usual  Articles 
of  War  and  general  muster.  Inspection  and  church 
followed. 

To-day  we  lost  one  more  of  our  dogs,  "  The  Tease," 
I  am  sorry  to  say.  Yesterday  he  jippea^ed  dull  and 
stupid,  and  swollen.  Being  given  some  jalap  he  did 
not  respond  to  treatment,  but,  to  quote  Chipp,  in  his 
account  to  Danenhower,  "  calmly  passed  away  breath- 


u 


414 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


ing  liis  last  at  three  p.  m."  As  we  are  of  an  inquiring 
turn  of  mind  a  post-mortem  was  held,  Iversen  acting 
as  coroner,  and  it  was  found  that  the  dog's  death  was 
caused  by  his  swallowing  a  sharp  bone,  which  cut 
through  his  intestines. 

August  2d,  Monday.  —  We  have  taken  a  new  depar- 
ture. Our  position  to-day  I  find  to  be  in  latitude  N. 
73'  20',  longitude  W.  178°  3G',  showing  that  we  have 
drifted  since  July  29th  N.  49°  E.  twenty-three  and  six 
tenths  miles,  or  nearly  seven  miles  a  day.  Our  new  de- 
parture consists  in  our  starting  off  to  the  N.  E.,  leaving 
the  old  backward  track  and  going  to  a  new  part  of  the 
ocean.  Thou<2;h  not  exciting?  it  has  the  air  of  noveltv, 
.and  may  prove  the  beginning  of  what,  please  God,  will 
be  a  success^ful  result  to  this  hitherto  valueless  expedi- 
tion ;  it  is  so  hard  to  drift  about  in  this  uncertainty, 
while  every  day,  nay,  every  hour,  shortens  an  already 
too  short  Arctic  summer.  Arctic  summer !  have  we  any 
reason  to  speak  of  summer  ?  Our  average  temperature 
for  June  was  30°,  and  for  July  33°,  and  our  warmest 
whole  day  thus  far  38°  (an  ordinary  cold  winter  day  in 
New  York).  What  a  scampering  would  take  place  at 
Theodore  Thomas'  to-night  if  we  exchanged  tempera- 
tures with  them  !  Four  years  ago  to-day  I  w\as  in  Port 
Royal,  S.  C,  wdth  the  thermometer  90°  in  the  shade. 
What  would  I  not  give  to  have  that  temperature  in 
these  regions  for  a  month  or  two  ! 

About  8.30  p.  M.  an  opening  occurred  in  the  ice 
about  one  quarter  mile  west  of  the  ship,  and  extend- 
ing for  a  short  distance  in  a  north  and  south  direction, 
and  wide  enough  to  steam  the  ship  in. 

Our  humdrum  existence  is  occasionally  varied  by 
finding  shells,  pieces  of  sponge,  or  bits  of  wood  on  the 
ice.     These  are  being  uncovered  by  the  gradual  melt- 


A  FUOZEN   SUMMER. 


415 


ing  of  the  snow  and  ice,  and,  of  course,  we  cannot  say 
how  long  they  may  have  remained  there  or  how  tliey 
came  there  originally.  In  the  absence  of  facts,  theories 
are  as  various  as  they  are  incongruous ;  in  the  Arctic 
Ocean  shells  may  be  ascribed  to  drift,  to  being  brought 
up  from  the  bottom  by  turning  floes,  or  to  being  re- 
jected by  walruses  in  feeding.  Any  one  will  do  to  talk 
about  to  fill  in  an  hour,  of  which,  alas,  we  have  too 
manv  idle  ones. 

Aurjust  3f?,  Tuesday.  —  No  observations  were  possi- 
ble to-day,  for  which  I  am  very  sorry,  because  I  want 
to  trace  our  progress  this  month  very  minutely.  A  cu- 
rious occurrence  is  worthy  of  mention.  Between  five 
and  eight  p.  m.  a  strong  odor  of  burning  brush-wood 
filled  the  air,  and  was  noticed  by  everybod}^  but  myself, 
who,  having  a  cold  in  the  head,  had  no  sense  of  smell ; 
from  six  to  ten  p.  m.  a  decided  haze  wan  apparent,  but 
whether  the  haze  and  the  odor  of  burning  brush-wood 
can  be  connected  in  any  way  or  not  remains  to  be  in- 
vestigated hereafter.  Nothing  seems  to  come  of  the 
ice  opening  mentioned  yesterday,  and  the  ice  in  general 
seems  to  be  compact  again  in  all  directions. 

August  4ith,  Wednesday.  —  One  more  day  come  and 
gone,  and  nothing  accomplished.  This  is  becoming 
gloomy,  indeed.  Are  we  never  to  get  the  ship  free 
again  ?  Hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick,  and  our 
hope  is  surely  deferred  long  enough.  This  is  the  month 
in  which  I  expected  to  do  something,  no  matter  how 
little,  and  here  we  are,  held  as  fast  as  we  were  in  March. 

August  bth,  Thursday.  —  Last  night  at  midnight  we 
ended  a  meteorological  year  of  hourly  observations, 
and,  as  a  relief  to  all  hands  in  making  them,  I  ordered 
hereafter  three-hourly  readings  of  the  instruments  in- 
stead of  hourly. 


416 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANXETTE. 


'I'l 


!  . 


' 


August  Gfh,  Friday.  —  At  Inst  I  have  goo<l  observn- 
tions,  and  I  find  the  ship  is  in  latitude  N.  73°  21'  30", 
nnd  longitude  W.  177°  14'  45".  Since  the  2d  wo  have 
drifted  twenty-four  miles  to  N.  8G°  E.,  or  six  miles  a 
day ;  I  am  disappointed,  because  I  expected  to  find  a 
greater  distance  accomplished.  We  have  had  as  much 
wind  in  the  past  four  days  as  we  can  expect  during 
mid-summer,  and  the  conditions  of  ice  loosening  are, 
one  would  suppose,  at  their  most  favorable  point.  It 
seems  a  certainty,  therefore,  that  there  is  no  expanse  of 
open  water  east  of  us,  and  the  ice  is  not  slack  enough 
to  afford  a  passage.  As  day  after  day  passes  by,  and 
no  chance  offers  to  accomplish  anything,  I  feel  my 
heart  sink.  To  have  zeal  and  energy  enough  to  dare 
anything,  and  be  held  like  a  rat  in  a  trap,  seems  the 
irony  of  fate. 

August  dth,  Monday.  —  Observati:  r«s  place  us  in  lat- 
itude N.  73°  24'  32",  longitude  W.  176°  39'  15",  a  drift 
of  one  and  seven  tenths  miles  N.  22°  E.  since  yesterday. 
We  sound  in  thirty-nine  fathoms,  —  and  the  lead  line 
shows  no  perceptible  drift;  we  have  therefore  come 
to  a  stand  again,  and  unless  something  we  know  not  of 
works  in  our  favor,  we  shall  probably  zigzag  again 
without  aim  or  result.  I  cannot  find  words  in  any  lan- 
guage which  will  express  the  sense  of  utter  disappoint- 
ment, ishame,  and  mortification  with  which  I  am  filled. 
in  seeing  a  second  summer  fade  away  with  nolbing  ic- 
complished. 

August  10th,  Tuesday.  —  A  gloomy,  drear  event- 
ful d.ay.     Fog  or  rain  all  the  time. 

August  11th,  Wednesday.  —  Apparently  our  situat  .on 
is  growing  worse  each  day  instead  of  better.  We  made 
the  unpleasant  discovery  to-day  that  the  amount  of  the 
leak  is  increasing;   for  during  the   last  twenty -four 


tl 


(1  observn- 
3°  21'  30", 
!(1  wc  have 
iix  miles  a 
1  to  find  a 
ad  as  much 
)cct  dm-ing 
scning  are, 
;  point.     It 
)  expanse  of 
lack  enough 
ises  by,  and 
,  1  feel  my 
(Ugh  to  dare 
p,  seems  the 

lee  us  in  lat- 
'  15",  a  drift 
;e  yesterday. 
t,be  lead  hne 
jrefore  come 
I  know  not  of 
tigzag    again 
i  in  any  lan- 
|r  disappoint- 
I  am  filled, 
nothing  m- 

r        .event- 


lour  situat, on 

We  made 

lount  of  the 

[twenty  -  four 


A   FROZEN   SUMMER. 


417 


hours  1,295  strokes  of  the  bilge-pump  were  required  to 
keep  her  free,  and  since  July  lotb,  240  strokes  per  day 
have  been  sufficient.  Of  course  there  is  a  reason  for 
this,  but  unfortunately  we  lave  to  guess  at  it.  Meas- 
urements of  the  thickness  of  the  ice  at  accessible  places 
show  a  diminution  of  one  inch  since  July  13th;  and  it 
may  so  happen  tliat  the  wasting  away  of  tliat  amount 
of  ice  (whetlier  at  the  top,  and  so  causing  it  to  Hoat 
higher,  or  at  the  bottom,  ami  accomplishing  the  same 
effect)  has  uncovered  the  damaged  stem  and  presented 
a  freer  ace  >ss  to  the  water.  This  is  conjecture  simply  ; 
the  fact  is  the  water,  and  must  be  dealt  with.  We 
have  the  winuiiiill  for  the  present,  and  should  we  be 
held  here  another  winter,  we  have,  thank  God,  enough 
coal  to  run  a  pump  in  the  deck-house. 

AiKjust  12th,  Thursday.  —  Observations  to-day  show 
a  drift  since  the  l)th  of  five  and  a  half  miles  to  S.  38° 
E.     The  irony  of  fate!    How  long,  0  Lord,  how  long? 

August  13M,  Friday.  — Rainbow  at  ten  p.  m.  Sun- 
set at  10.20.  This  is  the  first  time  we  have  been  able 
to  see  the  sun  at  this  interesting  event  since  he  recom- 
menced liis  for-a-time-suspended  liabit  of  going  below 
our  horizon.  Some  little  fog  in  the  forenoon.  These 
fogs  please  me,  for  they  cut  aw.ay  the  ice  amazingly. 

August  14/A,  Saturday.  —  Our  mild  weather  con- 
tinues, and  as  the  winds  hold  from  the  northward  and 
eastward,  it  must  be  occasioned  by  open  water  in  that 
direction.  This  is  no  better  than  a  conjecture,  of  course ; 
for  remaining  fast  in  one  spot  we  can  only  guess  what 
may  be  the  state  of  affairs  fifty  miles  from  us  in  any 
direction.  Inasmuch  as  the  high  temperature  and  N. 
E.  wind  are  accompanied  by  rain,  fog,  and  mist,  the 
conjecture  of  open  water  is  a  reasonable  one. 

August  16ih,  Sunday.  —  Our  mild  weather  continues, 
27 


418 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


:.  ,,■; 


I     r 


ii 


and  so  does  the  fog.  It  is  surprising  to  see  how  this 
latter  cuts  awav  the  ice.  The  full  sun  of  June  21st 
did  not  do  half  .he  execution  that  to-day's  fog  accom- 
plished. The  "ce  seems  actually  to  be  rotting  away. 
The  .surface  is  soft  and  spongy,  and  fully  honey-combed ; 
and  but  for  the  fact  that  there  remains  ice  varying 
in  ^hickness  from  two  to  twenty  feet,  there  is  no  reason 
why  we  should  not  vesume  our  voyage.  The  ship  is 
still  held  affectionately  by  ice  gripping  her  nearly  down 
to  her  keel,  and  by  its  attempt  to  rise,  heeling  her  over 
75°  to  starboard.  Here  and  there  on  either  beam,  holes 
varying  in  size  from  one  to  six  feet  extend  down 
through  the  ice,  and  at  a  distance  of  one  half  mile  on 
the  starboard  beam,  and  one  mile  on  the  port  beam, 
there  is  a  njirrow  lane  of  water  (starboard  with  a  W. 
wind,  port  with  an  E.  wind,  neither  with  any  other), 
which  serves  to  make  our  immediate  vicinity  an  island  ; 
so  that  if  we  could  get  to  this  lane  we  might  have  the 
pleasure  of  sailing  around  a  circle,  were  w^e  not  mean- 
while crushed  by  the  ice  coming  together,  for  beyond 
the  lane  in  any  direction  is  ice  of  the  cheerful  and 
consoling  thickness  of  twenty  to  forty  feet.  Inspected 
ship  at  ten  a.  m.,  and  had  divine  service  afterwards. 
Sounded  in  thirty-nine  and  a  half  fathoms,  a  marked 
drift  to  N.  E.  being  indicated  by  the  lead  line.  A  cu- 
rious fact,  because  we  have  had  light  breezes  from 
northwiird  .and  eastward  all  day,  and  this  shows  a  drift 
to  windward.  Between  ten  and  eleven  p.  m.  had  some 
heavy  passing  showers.  At  midnight  a  remarkably 
heavy  water-sky  showed  itself  to  the  southward. 

August  IQth,  Monday.  —  Foggy  and  misty  weather 
continues  unchanged.  Sweetman  commenced  altering 
the  frames  and  stanchions  of  the  deck-house,  to  carry 
out  my  plan  of  improving  its  arrangement  next  winter, 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


419 


by  beginning  it  at  the  bows,  and  so  covering  the  spar 
deck  over  the  entire  berth  deck. 

August  nth,  Tuesday. — And  so  day  by  day  our  glo- 
rious summer  is  passing  away,  and  we  are  accomplish- 
ing nothing.  It  is  painful  beyond  expression  to  go 
around  the  ice  in  the  morning  and  see  no  change  since 
the  night  before,  and  to  look  the  last  thino;  at  nisrht 
at  the  same  thing  we  saw  in  the  morning ;  and  tiiis  has 
continued  nearly  a  year  already,  and  may  continue  —  ? 
To  start  out  full  of  zeal  and  energy,  and  to  receive  a 
stunning  blow  at  the  first  step,  is  somewliat  demoraliz- 
ing. If  we  could  only  do  something.  Like  Hamlet,  I 
can  say,  "  Wouldst  drink  up  eisil  ?  eat  a  crocodile  ?  I  '11 
do  it "  —  And  so  I  would,  if  by  so  doing  I  could  change 
our  position  to  one  of  usefulness.  High  as  our  temper- 
at  u'e  is  (34°),  foggy  weather  a  daily  occurrence,  the 
most  favorable  occasions  for  getting  rid  of  ice,  except 
frequent  and  varying  gales  of  wind  to  break  it  up  and 
make  openings,  and  yet  here  we  are  hard  and  fast,  with 
ponds  here  and  there  two  or  three  feet  deep,  with  an 
occasional  hole  through  to  the  sea.  Is  this  always  a 
dead  sea  ?  Does  the  ice  never  find  an  outlet  ?  Surely 
it  must  go  somewhere ;  for  as  the  thaw  in  three  months 
by  ilo  means  equals  the  growth  in  nine  months,  it  would 
require  but  a  few  years  to  make  this  a  solid  mass,  and 
so  take  up  this  Arctic  Ocean  entirely.  It  does  not  get 
out  through  Behring  Stiait,  for  all  ice  met  in  Behring 
Sea,  or  nearly  all,  is  the  formation  of  that  locality.  It 
has  no  regular  set  in  any  direction,  north,  east,  or  west, 
as  far  as  I  can  judge,  but  slowly  surges  in  obedience  to 
wind  pressiiie,  and  grinds  back  again  to  an  equilibrium 
wheii  the  pressure  ceases.  Are  there  no  tides  in  this 
ocean  ? 

Drifting  about  as  w^  are,  no  tidal  measurements  are 


420 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JE ANNETTE. 


possible.  When  last  fall  and  winter  we  had  our  great- 
est pressures  at  new  and  full  moon,  their  regular  recur- 
rence seemed  to  indicate  that  tidal  action  existed,  but 
now  the  moon  has  no  effect  whatever.  Full  moon  or 
new  moon,  last  quarter  or  first  quarter,  th(  ice  is  as  im- 
movable as  a  rock.  We  are,  of  course,  further  north 
now  than  we  were  last  winter,  and  may  have  got  be- 
yond the  Siberian  tides,  while  still  south  of  the  tides 
mentioned  further  north  as  ebbing  and  flowing  through 
McClure  Strait.  In  case  this  is  so  we  should  be  in  a 
dead  space,  and  might,  like  Franklin's  ships,  never  get 
any  further.  But  what  is  there  to  the  northward  of 
11.3  ?  It  is  hard  to  believe  that  an  impenetrable  barrier 
of  ice  exists  clear  up  to  the  Pole,  and  yet  as  far  as  we 
have  gone  we  have  not  seen  one  speck  of  land  north 
of  Herald  Island. 

Our  water  temperatures  and  soundings  taken  daily 
give  no  encouragement ;  the  surface  has  generally  a 
temperature  of  34°,  due,  of  course,  to  its  exposure  to 
the  sun  and  retention  for  a  lona;  time  of  the  heat  im- 
parted.  Two  fathoms  below  the  surface  the  tempera- 
ture is  31°,  and  at  the  bottom  30°.  At  a  temperature 
of  75°  above  the  freezing  point  of  salt-water,  the  lower 
ice  cannot  melt  rapidly.  On  the  surface,  the  sun's  rays, 
or  the  cutting  fog,  or  the  warmer  water  at  the  edges, 
make  a  wasted  and  rotten  material ;  but  under  water 
the  ice  has  the  same  fiinty  liardness  it  had  during  mid- 
winter. And  it  is  of  such  irregular  and  varying  thick- 
ness that  no  idea  can  be  formed  of  its  age  or  origin.  We 
know  that  last  November,  when  we  were  squeezed  out 
of  the  heavy  ice  into  our  present  location,  we  were  in 
open  water,  —  a  lake,  so  to  speak.  By  careful  meas- 
urement we  know  that  ice  formed  on  this  lake  to  a 
thickness  of  five  feet  four  inches  by  February  4th.    Then 


E. 

I  our  great- 
^ular  recur- 
3xisted,  but 
ill  moon  or 
ce  is  as  im- 
cther  north 
ive  got  be- 
•f  the  tides 
ng  through 
lid  be  in  a 
1,  never  get 
Tthward  of 
ible  barrier 
s  far  as  we 
land  north 

aken  daily 
generally  a 
xposure  to 
e  heat  im- 
e  tempera- 
imperature 
,  the  lower 
sun's  rays, 
the  edges, 
nder  water 
Liring  mid- 
nng  thick- 
rigin.  We 
ueezed  out 
ve  were  in 
eful  meas- 
lake  to  a 
tth.    Then 


A  FROZEN  SUxVIMER. 


421 


its  thickness  could  no  longer  be  accurately  measured, 
because  of  under-riding  tloes ;  but  it  is  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  it  got  a  thickness  of  seven  feet.  On 
the  loth  July  that  ice  was  five  feet  in  thickness ;  to- 
day it  is  three  feet  five  inches  thick.  Either  we  have 
had  our  summer,  or  are  yet  to  have  it,  which  latter 
sounds  absurd  on  this  18th  day  of  August.  If  the  for- 
mer surmise  is  correct,  three  feet  seven  inches  may  be 
taken  as  the  thaw  of  one  summer,  and  the  remaining 
three  feet  five  inches  will  form  a  basis  for  next  win- 
ter. Already  our  little  ponds  have  frozen  over  during 
the  night,  and  remain  frozen  until  noon  of  the  next 
day.  Thus  much  being  said  of  ice  which  we  have 
seen  grow  around  us,  how  are  we  to  discuss  ice  which 
is  twelve  feet,  twenty-two  feet,  twenty-four  feet,  thirty 
feet,  and  forty  feet  in  constant  thickness  ?  We  see  ice 
which  has  been  piled  up  in  confused  masses  twenty-four 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  can  but  guess 
at  its  thickness  below.  We  drop  a  lead  down  to  a  pro- 
jecting tongue  twelve  feet,  and  think  we  have  the  thick- 
ness of  that  floe  at  -all  events ;  but  lo !  a  little  further 
and  we  see  another  projecting  tongue,  or  perhaps  a 
third,  or  when  we  get  to  twenty-two  feet  we  cannot 
obtain  an  up  and  down  sounding  by  reason  of  surface 
irregularity. 

August  18ih,  Wednesday.  —  Another  day  of  ice  scen- 
ery without  any  perceptible  change  in  our  surroundings. 
A  marvelous  temperature  ranging  between  31°  and  40° 
makes  me  hope  for  some  decent  weather.  To  me  to- 
day the  temperature  has  been  sultry  and  at  times  op- 
pressive, the  generally  pervading  fog  seeming  to  inten- 
)  effect  of  the  heat.     To  o 


sify 


great 


get  forty-four  fathoms,  with  mud,  gravel,  and  fine  white 
sand. 


wm 


422 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


,".,! 


-  r«-'- 


Our  sick-list  had  an  increase  to-day  in  the  person  of 
H.  II.  Kaack,  seaman.  While  passing  along  the  berth 
deck  he  fell,  and  striking  his  right  arm  against  the  cor- 
ner of  a  hatch  cover  broke  his  elbow  joint.  The  doctor 
has  the  case  well  in  hand,  and  anticipates  no  serious 
result  beyond  being  deprived  of  his  services  for  some 
time. 

August  19th,  llmrsday.  —  To-day  the  excitement  was 
the  killing  of  a  bear.  Mr.  Dunbar  started  out  this  morn- 
ing innnediately  after  breakfast,  and  came  back  about 
five  P.  M.  with  the  news.  During  the  afternoon,  while 
in  company  with  Alexey,  the  latter  called  his  attention 
froin  a  little  distance  by  call  or  signal  agreed  upon,  — 
the  note  of  a  crow.  Looking  around,  Dunbar  saw,  as  he 
says,  "  the  biggest  bear  he  has  ever  seen,  —  a  regular 
buster,"  —  followin;'  in  his  tracks.  He  crouched  down 
at  once  to  let  Bruin  come  up  ;  but  as  the  bear  got  within 
good  range,  say  two  hundred  yards,  of  Alexey,  before 
he  reached  Dunbar,  Alexey  fired  and  dropped  him.  We 
have  learned  up  here  that  it  takes  many  bullets  to  kill  a 
bear,  so  no  surprise  was  felt  at  '^oeing  him  jump  to  his 
feet  and  make  off,  thom^h  pumping  out  blood  through 
a  hole  in  his  left  sidj  as  he  ran.  Fortunately  for  us, 
he  ran  towards  two  men,  Nindemann  and  Bartlett, 
who  fired  and  finished  him.  Doys  were  sent  for  the 
carcass  two  miles  ea.st  of  the  ship,  and  they  brought  in 
a  small  bear  six  feet  six  and  one  half  inches  long,  and 
four  feet  seven  inches  in  girth,  thus  showing  the  effect 
of  a  sudden  surprise  on  Mr.  Dunbar.  The  body  was 
honored  with  a  burial  in  the  ice  to  keep  it  cool  and 
fresh,  whether  for  our  consumption  or  that  of  the  dogs 
will  depend  upon  their  necessities.  They  are  now  fed 
about  three  times  a  week  from  the  seal  yard. 

August  20th,  Friday.  —  A  day  which  can  be  disposed 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


423 


of  with  but  few  words.  Cloudy  all  day,  except  for  a 
short  time  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  sun  broke  through 
the  clouds  too  late  for  a  latitude  and  too  early  for  a 
time  sight. 

Aufjust  2\st,  Saturday. —  On  pages  102  and  288  I  have 
dwelt  at  some  length  on  the  nature  of  the  water  result- 
ing from  sea-water  ice,  and  I  shall  add  a  word  or  two 
here  on  that  subject  before  closing  it.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  of  the  importance  of  this  matter  in  reference  to 
the  health  of  Arctic  expeditions,  for  no  man  can  receive 
continually  or  habitually  as  much  salt  in  his  system  as 
we  find  contained  in  our  ice  without  speedily  becoming 
scorbutic.  Though  previous  expeditions  have  asserted 
that  they  found  and  used  ic^  sufficiently  pure  for  con- 
su'.^iption  when  melted  (and  ice  formed  from  the  freez- 
ing of  salt-water  at  that),  it  is  a  somewhat  singular  cir- 
cumstance that  the  crews  became  victims  to  scorbutic 
complaints.  Dr.  Walker  mentions  the  circumstance  of 
the  men  of  the  Fox  digging  too  deep  into  the  re-frozen 
ponds  of  melted  snow,  and  getting  ice  too  salt  for  do- 
mestic use. 

Our  experience  this  summer  is  as  follows  :  On  the 
7th  of  July  we  succeeded  in  getting  enough  snow  and 
surface  scrapings,  that  is,  broken  down  ice  crystals  from 
tops  of  hummocks,  to  fill  our  l^ank  with  water  suffi- 
ciently pure  for  our  use,  for  the  first  time  since  last 
fall.  The  steady  glare  and  heat  of  the  sun  had  melted 
and  honey-combod  the  mass,  and  allowed  the  salt  here- 
tofore contained  to  filter  through  and  deposit  at  the 
bottom.  (Not  all  of  the  sidine  ingredients  had  so  de- 
posited, for  a  very  faint  milky  tinge  would  appear  in 
the  water  when  tested  with  nitrate  of  silver ;  but  the 
water  was  pronounced  sufficiently  pure  for  drinking.) 
This  snow  and  surface  crust  were  earefidly  scraped  up, 


't'r; 


424 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


rn-i'iAi: 


1       1  ,  '    ! 


Mt^  !: 


ll     . 


It 


MN 


.( ' 


put  ill  barrels,  and  brought  to  the  ship,  where  a  cupful 
being  melted  from  each  barrel,  a  nitrate  of  silver  test 
was  applied,  and  the  barrel  accepted  or  rejected  as  the 
case  might  be.  Regularly  each  morning  was  this  ar- 
rangement carried  out,  some  five  or  six  barrels  accu- 
mulating on  the  quarter-deck  vviiere  the  snow  stood 
and  thawed  to  some  extent.  From  these  barrels  our 
supply  was  taken  for  melting  in  the  galley  for  our  uses. 
This  morning  an  unusual  degree  of  saltness  in  the  new 
supply  seemed  to  threaten  our  having  got  down  to  a 
line  of  salt  deposit ;  and  in  the  course  of  Dr.  Ambler's 
tests  he  dipped  a  cup  of  water  from  one  of  the  snow 
barrels,  which  had  some  days  ago  passed  inspection, 
and  he  found  it  too  salt  for  use,  although  a  cupful 
of  snow  iix  that  barrel  being  melted  was  found  quite 
pure.  This  curious  result  is  worthy  of  notice.  The 
barrelful  of  snow  standing  in  the  sun  had  become  soft 
and  honey-combed,  and  the  small  amount  of  salt  had 
dropped  through  with  the  drops  of  water  and  remained, 
of  course,  with  them,  leaving  the  snow  so  much  purer. 
Of  course  it  is  impossible  to  say  that  the  entire  contents 
of  a  barrel  are  of  the  same  character  as  the  specimen 
cupful,  some  pure  and  some  impure  getting  scraped  up 
together ;  for  it  is  plain  that  if  the  barrelful  were  no 
different  from  the  cupful,  the  melting  of  one  would 
give  the  same  purity  of  water  as  the  other.  It  is  to  be 
remembered,  however,  that  the  Salter  the  water  orig- 
inally the  low^er  the  freezing  point,  and,  consequently, 
the  melting  point,  hence  the  salter  ice  commences  to 
melt  first  and  deposits  its  salt,  which,  falling  into  the 
liquid,  makes  a  concentrated  solution  which  may  be 
unfit  to  drink,  though  the  remaining  snow  will  yield  a 
potable  material.  Our  method  of  examination  and  test 
is  the  only  practicable  one.     Properly  each  barrelful 


A  FROZEN   SUMMER. 


425 


should  be  melted  and  the  water  examined  ;  but  this 
would  consume  more  fuel  than  any  ship  could  spare, 
and  consequently  it  is  out  of  the  question. 

The  idea  that  I  desire  to  fix  is,  that  sea-water  ice, 
under  whatever  circumstances  it  may  be  found,  whether 
of  temperature  of  the  air  at  time  of  freezing,  or  num- 
ber of  thaws  and  re-freezings,  or  age,  or  thickness,  or 
location,  is  a  treacherous  and  unsafe  element  to  use  on 
an  Arctic  expedition,  as  an  internal  application ;  and  no 
matti.^r  how  much  care  may  be  exercised  in  its  exami- 
nation and  test,  the  chances  are  ninety-nine  in  a  hun- 
dred that  sufficient  salt  will  be  received  into  the  system 
by  continued  use  to  enfeeble  it  and  prepare  it  for  scor- 
butic attacks  under  any  unusual  exposure  or  exertion, 
even  if  its  use  does  not  produce  scurvy  alone  and  un- 
aided. Having  thus  disposed  of  the  salt  question,  about 
two  lines  will  describe  to-day's  arrival  and  departure. 
A  few  hours'  sunshine  in  spots,  in  early  morning  and  at 
three  P.  m.,  fog  and  mist  thence  till  midnight. 

August  22d,  Sunday.  —  The  thirty-sixth  anniversary 
of  my  birth,  and  but  for  an  episode  in  the  afternoon  it 
might  have  passed  away  without  reference. 

Of  late  I  have  each  afternoon  been  accustomed  to 
take  the  dingy  and  scull  around  and  through  the  little 
streams  of  water  that  have  formed  in  our  surrounding 
floe,  watching  the  wasting  of  the  ice,  and  making  out 
in  my  own  mind  where  a  break  may  occur  by  connect- 
ing the  several  holes  wasted  clear  through  to  the  deep 
water.  So  narrow  are  these  little  streams,  that  in  some 
of  them  one  has  just  room  enough  to  use  two  oars  and 
row,  and  in  many  he  is  obliged  to  scull.  So  winding 
and  intricate  are  they,  that  I  am  reminded  of  the  maze 
at  Hampton  Court  as  presenting  a  parallel. 

This  afternoon  I  started  off  as  usual  alone,  and  had 


M 


:  I  'I: 


to: 


!'l 


ir  •  M 

t'   if-'.. 
'I.  mm 


m 


'■i 


426 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


.rowed  and  sculled  unconcernedly  a  mile  or  more,  al- 
tliough  at  no  time  more  than  five  hundred  yards  from 
the  ship  in  a  straight  line.  At  this  point  I  reached  a 
long  narrow  lead  which  obliged  me  to  scull,  and  facing 
aft,  to  use  both  hands,  I,  of  course,  saw  nothing  ahead. 
Thinking  after  a  time  that  I  must  be  near  a  bend  I 
looked  over  my  shoulder,  and  to  my  astonishment 
found  my  eyes  resting  on  a  bear  not  quite  a  hundred 
feet  off,  and  who,  judging  by  his  looks,  was  quite  as 
astonished  as  1  was.  The  relative  situation  was  worthy 
of  a  photograph.  Here  was  a  predicament.  To  run  was 
out  of  the  question  for  me,  for  it  would  have  been  too 
uneven  a  match  had  the  road  to  the  ship  been  a  level 
and  clear  one  instead  of  across  alternate  ice  and  water, 
which  of  course  made  it  worse.  There  was  no  water  be- 
tween me  and  the  bear,  but  I  was  jammed  in  a  narrow 
lead  and  he  stood  looking  at  me.  The  water  would 
have  made  no  difference  to  him,  though  it  would  have 
to  me.  Looking  a  bear  out  of  countenance  is  very  ro- 
mantic but  not  practicable,  and  I  found  the  bear  recov- 
erini?  from  his  astonishment  and  advancing  toward  me. 
I  then  yelled,  "  On  board  ship  there  !  a  bear !  a  bear !  " 
but  got  no  answer.  Bruin  by  this  time  was  about  fifty 
feet  from  me,  so  close  that  I  could  see  distinctly  where 
the  short  hair  ended  at  the  edge  of  his  beautiful  black 
nose.  Hearing  my  shout  he  stopped,  and  looked  at  me 
wonderingly.  1  again  shouted,  "  On  board  ship  there  ! " 
and  somebody  answered,  "  Halloa."  Mentally  calculat- 
ing my  chances  I  again  yelled,  "A bear!  a  bear!"  and 
at  the  same  time  I  raised  an  oar  to  fend  him  off  should 
Bruin  come  to  the  boat.  He  stood  still,  however,  and 
looked  as  if  he  could  not  quite  make  me  out.  Just 
then  a  string  of  men  and  dogs  rushing  around  the 
stern  attracted  his  attention,  and   he  gazed  at  them 


l(:'- 


A  FROZEN  SUMMKll. 


427 


until,  judging  they  meant  him  no  good,  he  turned  and 
ran,  so  fast  that  before  the  men  and  dogs  could  get  on 
his  trail  he  was  out  of  range. 

Lesson  for  me  :  "  Never  go  away  from  the  ship  with- 
out a  rifle." 

Usual  Sunday  inspection  followed  by  divine  service. 

August  2Sd,  Monday.  —  It  is  now  ten  days  since  I 
have  obtained  sights,  and  by  a  singular  circumstance 
they  have  been  dnys  of  unusually  high  temperature ;  I 
say  unusually  high  advisedly,  because  we  have  become 
so  accustomed  to  experience  a  temperature  of  32°,  or 
under,  that  any  excess  is  worthy  of  notice. 

August  24:th,  Tuesday.  —  But  a  short  time  since  and 
we  were  reveling  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  sun  above  the 
horizon  the  whole  twenty-four  hours ;  and  to-night  at 
midnight  a  lantern  was  necessary  to  read  the  anemom- 
eter. The  thermometers  having  bright  metallic  sur- 
faces are  easily  read  without  artificial  light.  For  about 
two  weeks  we  have  had  the  cabin  lamp  lighted  every 
evening  at  nine  o'clock,  the  dark  and  gloomy  weather 
we  have  had  making  it  necessary.  Alas,  alas !  a  sec- 
ond winter  before  us  and  nothing  done.  Our  daily 
hunting  parties  are  coming  back  empty-handed.  Seals 
enongh  are  seen  and  shot,  but  they  sink  almost  at  once 
and  are  lost.  This  is  their  season  for  shedding  their 
coats,  and  there  seems  to  be  a  connection  between  that 
episode  and  the  fatness  of  the  seal  (or  the  thickness  of 
his  blubber).  Under  ordinary  circumstances  a  seal, 
when  shot,  seems  buoyant  enough  to  float  until  his  car- 
cass can  be  reached  by  a  kyack,  or  by  traveling  on  a 
cake  of  ice.  But  now  the  moment  his  skin  is  punc- 
tured down  he  goes.  To-day  Chipp  and  Dunbar  saw 
four  oogooks  (or  one  oogook  four  times),  but  at  too 
long  range  for  a  shot. 


IN 


1  ir--,. 


I  <  I, 


i 


■;i! 


>il!--' 


^^ 


r'  .  i 


428 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


All  reports  seem  to  agree  in  pronouncing  the  ico  in  a 
wasted  and  disintegrated  condition,  needing  only  a  fresh 
blow  to  send  it  into  blocks  and  pieces.  IJut  by  our  ill 
luck  we  are  having  only  light  airs  from  the  northward 
and  a  normal  barometer. 

August  25th,  Wednesday/.  —  A  day  of  considerable 
interest,  from  the  occupation  in  which  we  were  en- 
gaged, and  of  great  satisfaction  from  the  results  ob- 
tained. 1  have  long  been  arxious  to  have  a  sight  of 
our  propeller,  to  know  what  injury  it  sustained  during 
our  numerous  ice-squeezes  and  jams.  Although  I  some- 
times regretted  not  having  triced  it  up  last  fall,  upon 
becoming  fixed  in  our  icy  surroundings,  I  could  not 
help  feeling  during  the  crises  of  the  winter,  particu- 
larly on  the  memorable  19th  of  January,  that  its  being 
down  added  greatly  to  the  support  of  the  rudder-post, 
and  perhaps  prevented  its  (the  rudder-post's)  destruc- 
tion, and  incidentally  a  crippling  of  the  ship.  An  in- 
jury to  the  screw-blades  we  could  endure,  because  we 
had  spare  ones  to  take  their  places,  although  if  the 
blades  were  much  bent  or  twisted,  we  should  perhaps 
be  unable  to  get  them  up  to  replace  them  by  others. 
The  ice  surrounding  the  ship's  stern  had  a  thickness  of 
nine  feet  in  some  places,  and  its  surface  was  about  two 
feet  under  water.  Sawing  it,  therefore,  seemed  a  her- 
culean job,  while  blasting  it  with  torpedoes  might  in- 
jure the  ship.  However,  I  determined  to  try  sawing, 
and  Chipp,  with  the  tripod  on  the  starboard  side,  and 
standing  in  the  water  to  his  knees,  directed  operations, 
while  Nindemann,  on  the  port  side,  similarly  immersed, 
attended  to  that  portion  of  it. 

Suspending  an  anchor  weighing  about  eighty  pounds 
to  the  bottom  of  the  saw,  a  rope  was  attached  to  the 
upper  end,  led  through  a  block  at  the  tripod  head,  and 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


429 


then  over  the  rail  on  board,  where  it  was  manned  by 
some  iiands,  while  Chipp,  with  two  men,  pointed  and 
guided  the  saw  by  means  of  a  bar  in  the  saw's  upper 
end.  During  the  forenoon  the  small  sawing,  picking, 
and  chiseling  were  done  on  the  port  side,  where  a  num- 
ber of  small  holes  were  connected ;  and  in  the  after- 
noon both  sides  were  worked  at.  As  soon  \s  the  tripod 
got  near  the  ship  the  fall  was  led  through  a  block  on  the 
mainyard,  and  the  sawing  proceeded  with  good  speed, 


Ice  3  feet 
under  waterDi 


mMm"" 


A.  Sounding  hole. 

B.  Trc  ten  feet  thick. 

C.  TripoJ  for  sawing  ice. 

D   1  Idles  tlirough  tlie  ice  connected  by  small  saws,  picks,  and  chisels. 
E    I'iace  where  (Icie  hmkc  in  two. 

{From  a  sketch  by  Capt.  De  Long.) 

although  laborious  and  trying  to  the  men  standing  in 
the  water  guiding  the  saw.  By  2.30  p.  m.  the  saw  had 
nearly  reached  the  sounding  hole,  when,  crash  !  bump  ! 
bump !  the  floe  broke  into  two  large  cakes  which  came 
to  the  surface  striking  hard  under  our  counter,  and 
rolled  and  swashed  like  two  whales.  While  some  of  the 
men  got  ice-claws,  and  with  ropes  dragged  the  cakes 
away,  others  rove  off  the  propeller-purchase,  and  Mel- 
ville went  below  to  get  the  blades  vertical.  Upon  trying 
to  turn  the  shaft,  he  found  that  it  would  only  go  a  little 
way,  and  we  began  to  fear  the  blades  were  so  bent  as 


430 


THE  VOYAC.K  OF  THE  JEANXETTE. 


I 


■   ,  t 


to  take  aj^iiinst  the  forward  side  of  the  casing.  When 
we  ceased  steaming  last  fall,  the  blades  were  left  up 
and  down,  and  in  our  ice  pressures  they  had  been 
turned  about  one  eighth  of  a  revolution.  Fortunately 
when  the  ice  was  removed  we  could  get  the  blades  to  a 
hoisting  mark,  although  they  would  not  revolve.  So 
we  hove  away,  and  to  our  satisfaction  up  came  the 
screw,  and  to  our  equal  surprise  and  delight  we  found 
it  in  perfect  condition  with  not  even  a  scratch.  It  was, 
however,  as  bright  as  new  copper,  looking  as  if  it  had 
been  freshly  scoured.  With  a  view  to  learning  what 
the  shaft's  not  turning  was  due  to,  I  directed  Melville 
to  turn  the  engines  over  while  the  screw  was  up,  and 
it  was  found  impossible  to  get  the  shaft  any  further 
around  than  before.  Ice  may  have  formed  and  lodged 
in  the  sleeve  of  the  dead-wood,  and  as  this  can  be  de- 
termined by  removing  the  packing  from  the  stuffing- 
box,  we  shall  probably  know  more  about  it  to-morrow. 
Lowered  the  screw  again  to  its  place,  soon  I  hope  again 
to  be  employed  in  beating  the  water  to  drive  us  on  to 
the  accomplishment  of  some  worthy  object.  The  con- 
sequences to  the  ship  by  the  removal  of  ice  from  under 
the  stern  are  logged  by  me  as  follows :  — 

"The  ship  immediately  went  down  in  the  water  aft  seven 
inches,  and  came  up  forward  one  liidf  inch  ;  the  water-level 
being  now  at  a  height  of  seven  feet  two  inches  on  the  stem, 
and  thirteen  feet  nine  and  a  half  inches  on  the  rudder-post. 
The  heel  is  now  8|°  to  starboard,  having  been  increased  only 
\°  by  the  change  of  immersion.  The  sliip  is  yet  firndy  held  by 
ice,  which  extends  from  the  main  rigging  on  the  port  side 
around  the  bows,  and  to  the  after  part  of  the  fore  rigging  on 
the  starboard  side,  and  which,  wliere  possible  to  measure,  is 
found  to  have  a  thickness  of  ten  feet  eleven  inches.  It  prob- 
ably extends  under  her  keel,  forming  a  cradle  ;  and  though  it 
would  perhaps  be  possible  to  haul  the  ship  astern  into  a  small 


iff 


A   FUOZKX   SUMMKU. 


'131 


pool  of  c'lciir  water,  it  h  not  iittcinptcil  for  four  of  iiicre!iHiii<^ 
tlio  facility  with  uliicli  \va((M*  mi<rlit  enter  tIiroii<rli  tlu^  diiin- 
a;^e(l  stem,  ami  .so  reijiiire  additional  labor, or  even  steani-pninp- 
inj^,  to  keep  tlie  ship  free.  Without  a  siiin;lt.  lead  of  water  in 
any  direct  inn  accessible  to  tlit^  ship,  her  heiiij^  navij^ated  is  ini- 
possilde,  and  there  wonUl  be  nolhinj^  gained  by  her  beinj; 
Uoated  into  a  small  lake." 


;o-morrow. 


Tiniiu'diatc  exjuuination  showed  no  cliaim-o  in  tho 
junoinit  of  water  coming  into  tho  .shi[),  and  as  no  water 
could  be  lonnd   coming   into  the  snp[)ose(l  leak  in  the 


shaft-allev,  it  h 


com 
now 


believed  that  the  water  liiere  was 


caused  by  tho  melting  of  ice  between  the  frames.  And 
so  this  eventful  day  came  to  an  end.  Mucli  work  done 
and  some  pletisant  knowledge  gained. 

August  2(j(h,  I'huraddi/.  —  A  day  of  considerable  ex- 
citement occasioned  by  the  advent  of  no  less  than  four 
bears,  and  our  killing  one  of  them.  About  1.30  p.  m. 
Mr.  Collins,  while  walking  on  the  ice  on  the  port  side 
of  the  ship,  saw  a  bear  through  the  fog  about  one  hun- 
dred yards  distant.  Giving  the  alarm,  oil:  started  the 
dogs,  immediately  followed  by  Nindcmami  and  Aneguin. 
Bruin  of  course  turned  and  ran,  and  meeting  a  pond  in 
his  way  plimged  into  it.  It  happened,  however,  to  be 
inclo.sed,  and  before  he  could  swim  across  it  tho  dog.s 
had  encircled  it  and  held  him  at  bay,  one  of  them,  it  is 
said,  biting  his  bear.ship  on  the  nose  whenever  he  at- 
tempted to  land.  Aneguin  and  Nindetnann  coming  up 
fired  one  and  two  shots  respectively,  Aneguin  nii.ssing 
and  Nindemann  hitting,  and  the  prize  was  oin-  own.  Of 
course  we  were  all  out  there  at  once,  and  harpooning 
the  carcass,  dragged  it  to  the  ice,  and  thence  to  the 
burying-ground. 

Hardly  had  the  meat  been  buried,  and  our  usual  oc- 
^'upations  resumed,  than  three  more  bears  hove  in  sight, 


432 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JK ANNETTE. 


1  .y 


^   :f 


this  time  on  the  starboard  quarter.  Collecting  quietly 
on  the  poop  ',ve  awrited,  rifles  in  hand,  their  approach. 
The  parf,3'  s-eenied  to  consist  of  a  mother  and  two 
nearly  full-giown  cubs.  Our  dogs  were  being  fed  on 
the  port  bow,  and  thus  made  no  demonstration.  Per- 
fect silence  reigned.  Our  past  experience  warning  ns 
of  the  small  effect  of  a  bullet  at  long  range,  and  the 
ease  with  which  a  bear  makes  off  when  hit  several 
times,  we  decided  to  wait  until  the  bears  would  come 
no  nearer,  and  then  pour  in  a  volley..  Along  the  star- 
board rail  were  rann-ed  ten  riHes  in  rest :  tableau  ! 

The  mother  led  the  van,  the  two  cubs  following. 
Slowly  and  deliberately,  head  to  wind,  neck  stretched 
out  like  a  cow's  neck,  nose  describing  graceful  curves 
in  time  with  each  step,  Mrs.  Bruin  came  along,  falling 
lazily  into  the  water  lanes  when  she  met  them,  swim- 
ming across  slowly  and  reaching  the  shore,  looking 
back  to  encourage  her  children  to  cross  the  briny  deep. 
When  the  party  reached  a  point  which  we  considered 
two  hun(h'ed  yards  distant  from  the  ship  they  paused, 
and  Mrs.  Bear,  seemingly  distrustful  of  what  she  saw, 
and  licr  nose  scented,  turned  as  if  to  retreat.  At  this 
moment,  l)y  preconcerted  signal,  we  fired.  Down  tum- 
bled the  big  l)ear,  and  one  of  the  little  ones  jerking  up 
a  foot  and  shakinii:  it  seemed  hit  also.  The  cubs  imme- 
diately  closed  on  the  mother,  and  while  the  three  were 
in  a  heap  the  firing  continued  until  the  sm  ke  lud  the 
objects.  At  the  first  shot  away  went  the  dof  s,  followed, 
when  the  firing  ceased,  by  Dunbar  and  F  icksen  and 
others.  When  the  smoke  cleared  somewli;  t  the  three 
bears  were  in  full  retreat,  safe,  if  not  badly  hurt,  be- 
cause the  dogs  would  not,  and  the  men  could  not,  cross 
the  water  lanes  through  which  the  bears  went  without 
hesitation.      Jumping  into  the  dingy,   Chipp,  the  doc- 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


433 


i 


tor,  and  myself  ran  and  sculled  "  across  countrj'-," 
but  our  game  was  out  of  sight,  Dunbar  and  Ericksen 
in  chase.  Going  to  the  spot  where  the  animals  stood, 
we  found  blood,  and  followed  it  on  two  trail,--,  so  that 
we  knew  two  of  the  bears  were  hit. 

But  we  lost  them.  Dunbar  and  Ericksen  kept  on, 
and  managed  to  drop  the  heretofore  uninjured  cub,  but 
only  for  a  moment.  The  mn  ly  leads  gave  the  bears 
too  great  an  advantage,  and  tlujugh  the  trail  indicated 
severe  wounds,  the  chase  might  have  continued  for 
hours  before  any  approach  to  an  end  would  have  oc- 
curred. Dunbar  tells  me  he  noticed  the  great  care 
over  and  solicitude  evinced  by  the  mother  for  her 
young.  The  cubs  be'iig  wounded  were  more  disposed 
to  stop  than  to  go  on  ;  but  the  parent,  though  hurt  her- 
self, kept  pushing  them  before  her,  covering  their  re- 
treat and  nosing  them  into  the  wa  f^r  in  fri)nt,  before 
she  would  leave  the  ice  herself.  It  is  too  bad  to  hurt 
or  disable  these  creatures,  and  have  them  suffer  and 
die  perhaps  beyond  our  reach ;  but  it  is  the  fortune  of 
war,  and  as  we  try  to  kill  when  we  shoot,  wo  cannot 
help  it  if  we  only  wound.  I  am  satisfied  that  unless  at 
very  short  ra.ges,  or  a  vital  part  is  hit,  an  ordinary 
rille  bullet  like  a  Remington  or  a  Winchester  is  of  no 
nse.  An  explosive  bullet  is  required.  Unless  dcgs  can 
surround  a  bear  and  hold  him  .it  bay,  he  may  have 
half  a  dozen  bullets  in  him  and  yet  escape  Over  or- 
dinary ice  the  chase  is  too  unequal  for  a  nuin  alone  ; 
over  ice  cut  up  by  ponds  and  rivulets,  <is  oiu'  neighl)or- 
hood  is,  a  successful  chase  is  a  physical  impossil)ility. 
The  water  is  too  deep  for  a  man  to  wade,  and  the  dogs 
will  run  a  mile  before  they  will  cross  three  yards  of 
water.    This,  of  course,  gave  us  something  to  talk  about 

28 


WK 

r  ' 

434 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


;i  ', 


:  ,i! 


* 


¥ 


(luring  the  afternoon  and  evening,  and  all  the  changes 
on  bears  and  bear-hunting  were  rung  ad  Injlnlfum. 

While  the  doctor  and  I  were  in  chase  we  came  to  a 
place  on  the  trail  where  one  of  the  bears  .seemed  +o 
have  ,sat  down,  for  the  snow  was  colored  red  for  quite 
a  space.  Examining  more  caret  ally,  however,  we  saw 
that  it  was  ''  crimson  snow,"  so-called  (infusoria),  about 
which,  as  to  whether  of  vegetable,  marine,  or  cosmic 
origin,  so  many  diverse  opinions  are  advanced).  Gath- 
ering some  of  it  the  doctor  examined  it  with  a  micro- 
scope, and  he  thinks  it  is  pink-colored  marine  algae, 
probal>ly  a  species  of  protoco(^cus. 

Lest  I  have  not  mentioned  it  heretofore,  T  mention 
here  that  Mr.  Collins  discovered  wme  magnetic  parti- 
cles (meteoric  iron)  in  a  lot  of  sand  and  gravel  found 
on  the  ice  two  miles  to  the  eastward  by  Mr.  Dunbar. 

When  not  engaged  in  chasing  bears,  our  men  were 
engaged  to-day  in  sawing  up  and  removing  the  ice 
which  we  dis})la<M'd  around  the  stern  yesterday.  The 
engineer's  force  was  employed  in  trying  to  get  the  shaft 
to  revolve.  Uncouj)l«d  the  engine  from  the  line  shaft, 
and  found  that  tlic  engine  could  be  mo  d  readily. 
(Jou])led  up  again  and  r'-moved  the  [)acking  from  the 
stulling-box  of  the  '*-terii  bearing  until  the  water  ran 
freely  to  the  box,  Tlien  tried  to  jack  the  engine  and 
sliaf*  as  coupled  together,  but  without  much  effect. 
The  diirieulty  seemed  to  be  in  the  stern-pipe  or  sleeve 
(as  we  supposed  yesterday),  as  there  <*a«  a  noise  as  of 
grinding  in  the  pipe,  and  sup|)0sing  it  to  1>e  occasioned 
by  ice,  the  stulling-box  was  so  arranged  n^  to  adnn't 
during  the  night  a  small,  steady  stream  of  water  to  uiil 
in  thawing. 

Auf/iixf.  27th,  Friday.  —  Another  day  of  fo'?  —  im- 
penetrable as  a  wall.    Temperature,  maximum    .")'.  min- 


A  FROZEN  SUMMKR. 


435 


hanges 
m. 

nie  to  a 
mod  ^o 
3r  quite 
we  saw 
0,  al)Out 
•  cosmic 
Gatli- 
a  luicro- 
le   alga), 

mention 
:ic  parti- 
rel  found 
unl)ar. 
ion  wore 

the  ice 

ly.     The 

the  shaft 

ine  shaft, 

r(>ulily. 

fioni  the 
,atcr  ran 

H'inc  and 

h  effect. 


or  s 


loeve 
f 
1 


Oise  as  o 
Iccasionoc 
jtx)  admit 
Iter  to  aid 


-  nn- 
miii- 


imnm  31.7.°  We  continued  to-tlay  the  work  of  cut- 
ting up  and  dragging  away  the  pieces  of  In'oken  lloe, 
iinishiug  it  ahout  live  o'clock.  All  along  our  starboard 
side,  from  the  fore  rigging  aft,  we  have  ''open  water," 
a  hole  extending  diagonally  aci'oss  tlu;  sliij)'s  keel  from 
the  starboard  bow  to  tiie  port  quarter,  and  long  enough 
to  float  the  ship  in  should  she  slip  from  her  cradle.  In 
slueing  a  piece  of  floe  this  afternoon,  a  tongue  project- 
ing under  water  struck  the  sliiji's  side  abreast  ol  my 
room,  and  th(nigh  the  shock  was  not  great,  it  caused 
the  ship  to  sliake  fore  and  aft,  showing  that  the  ice  for- 
ward is  balancing  her  weight  so  nicely  that  but  litlU; 
would  be  necessary  to  shake  her  off.  1  think  it  is  a 
question  of  only  a  few  more  days'  thaw  and  the  Jean- 
nette  will  slide  into  water  again,  and  then  we  shall 
know  what  kind  of  a  leak  she  has. 

Melville  continued  the  work  of  tryiny*  to  turn  the 
5<haft  again  to-day,  having  allowed  the  water  to  run  in 
slowly  last  night  through  the  stufllng-box  of  the  steam 
bearing,  but  little  improvement  was  noticed.  He  there- 
fore took  out  all  the  packing  and  let  in  a  full  head  of 
water.  This  did  the  work.  All  ice  seemed  to  disap- 
pi'ar,  and  the  engines,  shaft,  and  screw  could  be  jacked 
to  a  charm.  We  packed  the  stuffing-box,  and  now  ev- 
erything connected  with  the  machinery  is  in  perfect 
rimninii;  order. 

AiKjimt  i't^llt,  Saturdti;!.  —  By  groat  good  fortune  I 
was  able  to-day  to  get  sights  for  a  Sumner,  whereby 
1  lind  the  ship  in  latitude  N.  73^^  37',  longitude  W.  177" 
13',  and  that  is  N.  42"  W.,  twenty-foui-  miles  from  our 
position  on  the  l3Hi  instant.  How  much  we  may  have 
zigzagged,  or  how  much  ground  she  may  have  gone 
over,  we  shall  never  know.  It  is  some  consolation  to 
know  even  where  we  are.  A  day  generally  of  fog. 
Curious !  a  rising  barometer  with  a  southerly  wind. 


436 


THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


mi 


hi 


Aufjust  2dth,  Sunday.  —  Another  week  come  and 
gone,  iuul  hero  we  are  yet.  01*  course  it  is  for  the  best 
that  we  are  here,  else  it  would  not  ]je  the  case  ;  but 
oh  !  how  hard,  and,  in  fact,  impossible  it  is  to  draw 
any  consolation  from  it.  Our  situation  seems  un- 
changed, and  its  continuance  inevitable.  Altliough  I 
have  been  buoyed  np  during  tlie  last  two  weeks  by  the 
mildness  of  the  temperature,  and  its  probable  wasting 
effect  on  the  ice,  even  that  comfort  is  removed  now  by 
a  fall  in  the  temperature  early  this  morning,  and  tlie 
appearance  of  young  ice  on  the  surface  of  our  ponds 
which  did  not  disappear  until  near  noon.  Although 
passing  a  second  winter  in  the  pack  is  not  a  pleasant 
thing  to  contemplate,  I  do  not  think  an  olBcer  or  man 
shrinks  from  it  because  of  the  danger  to  be  incurred, 
or  the  discomfort  to  be  endured. 

But  we  cannot  help  asking  ourselves  the  question, 
"  Shall  we  be  any  more  successful  when  it  has  passed  ? " 
Here  we  have  been  nearly  a  year  drifting  with  the 
ice  to  and  fro,  and  we  are  about  one  hundred  and  forty 
miles  N.  N.  W.  of  where  we  started.  Let  us  suppose  a 
year  from  now  we  are  still  one  hundred  and  forty  miles 
north  of  our  position  to-day  (latitude  N.  73°  41',  longi- 
tude W.  177°  13'),  or  say  N.  70°  30'.  We  shall  then  be 
800  miles  from  the  Pole,  and  500  miles  from  a  Siberian 
settlement,  with  a  disabled  ship,  no  fuel,  and  perhaps 
as  innnovably  jammed  as  now.  Supposing  our  pro- 
gress were  in  the  same  successive  manner  the  next 
year,  and  so  on,  in  six  additional  years  we  should  reach 
the  Pole.  But  what  is  the  use  of  figuring  it  up  —  a 
man  might  as  well  attempt  to  demonstrate  by  mathe- 
matical calcidation  the  day  of  his  death.  Let  us  deal 
with  the  present. 

The  long  continuance  of  foggy,  damp  weather,  and 


A  FROZEX  SUMMER. 


437 


c   and 
le  best 
3  ;  but 
)  draw 
lis   uu- 
nvAi  I 
by  the 
vasting 
now  by 
nd  the 
r  ponds 
tthough 
)leasant 
or  man 
icurred, 

nestion, 
assed  ?  " 
ith   the 
id  forty 
ipposc  a 
ty  miles 
',  iongi- 
then  be 
Siberian 
perhaps 
)nr  pro- 
lie  next 
hd  reach 


u 


p  —  a 
the- 
deal 


ma 
us 


Iher,  and 


the  extent  to  which  our  men  were  obliged  to  be  in  the 
water  while  sawing  ice,  have  led  to  the  accumulation  of 
a  lai'ge  quantity  of  wet  clothe.'!.  In  order  to  (h'v  them 
I  have  ordered  a  fire  on  the  berth  deck,  whicii,  com- 
mencing on  Friday,  continued  yesterday  and  to-day. 
This  makes  a  sad  expenditure  of  coal  (145  pounds), 
but  it  is  necessary  for  health  and  comfort  that  people 
should  wear  dry  clothing.  Sweetman  continues  iiis 
work  of  altering  the  deck-house  for  our  possible  win- 
ter's detention,  and  as  lie  always  makes  a  tl.'orou<j;h 
finish  of  anything  he  undertakes,  the  altered  hou  o  is 
as  much  like  a  new  one  as  possible.  He  is  as  invalu- 
able a  carpenter  as  he  is  desirable  as  a  cheerful  ship- 
mate, and  I  cannot  bo  too  loud  in  his  praise.  His 
exertions,  with  those  of  Nindeinanii,  down  in  the  fore 
peak  on  and  after  January  19th  will  always  remain  in- 
delibly fixed  in  my  mind. 

Inspection  and  divine  service  took  place  as  u«ual  on 
Sundays.  We  sounded  in  thirty-seven  I'athoms,  a  drift 
to  N.  N.  E.  being  indicated  by  the  lead  line.  Light 
southerly  breezes  four  miles  an  hour,  freshened  by  mid- 
night to  ten  miles,  and  yet  a  temperature  at  one  time 
as^jw  as  2S.3" ! 

Have  Behrinti;  Strait  and  the  ocean  south  of  us  closed 
thus  early?  If  so,  by  what  accident  shall  we  find  water 
north  of  us?  Fog,  mist,  and  drizzling  rain  as  usual,  but 
I  managed  to  get  some  fair  sights,  showing  our  position 
obtained  yesterday  to  be  reliable. 

The  outlook  from  the  crow's-nest  is  dreary  enough. 
Ice,  ice,  ice !  In  the  little  basin  or  valley  in  Avhicli  we 
are  numerous  rivulets  and  pond-holes  may  be  seen  ;  but 
beyond  what  was  once  our  encircling  mountain  ridge 
twenty  to  forty  feet  high,  and  now  a  ragged  mass  of 
c\mfusod  chunks,  is  a  seemingly  endless  ice  desert,  with 


*'?  J 


438 


THE  voyagp:  of  the  jeannette. 


u  black  pool  here  and  there,  but  no  leads,  no  channels, 
no  avenues  of  advance  or  retreat. 

Aiifjiist  oOth,  Momhnj.  —  Our  foggy  Aveatlier  seems 
to  be  ready  for  a  change,  for  at  ten  this  evening  the 
fog  rolled  away  from  overhead,  leaving  a  clear  blue  sky 
with  a  bright  moon,  and  at  midnight  Jupiter  and  Alde- 
bamn  were  also  in  ))lain  view,  being  the  first  time  that 
stars  have  been  visible  since  last  spring.  As  a  thing  to 
be  remembered  in  connection  with  the  dispersing  of  the 
fog,  the  temperature  suddenly  fell,  and  at  midnight 
stood  at  20.4",  and  this  too  with  a  S.  E.  wind.  It  would 
seem  that  the  water  is  disappearing  to  the  southward, 
and  a  flock  of  phalaropes  flying  to  the  southward  to-day 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  water  is  disappearing 
(if  it  ever  existed)  to  the  northward.  What,  then,  is 
there  in  store  for  us  ? 

Poor  old  Snuffy,  having  reached  such  a  condition  that 
it  would  be  a  meicy  to  kill  him,  was  shot  to-day.  For 
some  days  uis  head  had  swollen  to  an  awful  size,  and  he 
had  wasted  away  to  a  shadow.  Lying  on  the  ice,  the 
heat  from  his  body  had  thawed  away  a  hole,  and  he  was 
sinking  gradually  from  view.  No  doubt,  as  far  as  his 
usefulness  was  concerned,  he  might  have  been  killed 
months  ago ;  but  I  felt  that  even  a  dog  was  entitled 
to  his  life  as  long  as  he  could  keep  it  in  these  unchari- 
table regions.  However,  the  poor  brute  is  gone  now. 
His  three  companions,  Prince,  Tom,  and  Wolf,  seemed 
unable  to  comprehend  his  disappearance,  for  they  gath- 
ered around  his  old  ice-hole  in  inquiring  anxiety.  But 
only  for  a  time.  The  natural  though  miserable  regard 
for  self  soon  drew  them  to  other  things.  What  a  life 
this  is,  when  the  shooting  of  a  dog  so  impresses  me  that 
I  give  a  dozen  lines  of  my  journal  to  its  mention. 

Our  little  lakes  and  rivulets  were  covered  with  ice  at 


inels, 


seems 
g  the 
le  ds.y 
Al'le- 
2  that 
hig  to 
o£  the 
Inight 
would 
iwarcl, 
to-day 
tearing 
lien,  is 

n  that 
For 
and  lie 
("c,  the 
he  was 
as  his 
killed 
ntitled 
nchari- 
e  now. 
seemed 
gath- 
15  ut 
rega  rd 
it  a  life 
lie  that 

li  ice  at 


\ 


A  FROZEN  SUMMER. 


439 


1 


midnight,  and  a  white  frost  was  deposited  on  all  instru- 
ments at  the  observatory. 

Aufjnst  Slst,  Tuesday.  —  The  last  day  of  summer  has 
coine  and  gone,  and,  so  far  as  our  release  is  concerned, 
we  are  apparently  no  better  off  t'lan  we  were  on  the 
first  day  of  summer.  A  cheerful  fall  of  temperature 
occurred  during  the  night,  and  in  consequence  we  find 
ice  three  quarters  of  an  inch  thick  over  all  our  ponds 
this  morning.  Three  quarters  of  an  inch  does  not  seem 
like  much  in  the  abstract,  but  it  was  more  than  we  could 
push,  pull,  or  scull  a  boat  through  without  cutting  it 
ahead  with  an  ice-chisel,  and  Melville  and  I  who  tried 
to  do  so  are  not  the  weakest  of  men.  On  th(»  other 
[land,  we  had  a  remarkably  high  temperature  in  the 
middle  of  the  day  (35°  to  37°),  an  almost  cloudless  sky, 
—  in  fine,  a  heavenly  state  of  weather  for  tjiese  re- 
gions. 

So  bright  was  the  sun  that  it  was  a  pleasure  ^o  take 
sights.  Excellent  observations  place  us  in  latitude  73° 
46'  N.,  longitude  176°  48'  45"  W.,  showing  a  drift  since 
the  29th  of  eight  and  one  half  miles  to  ^\  53°  E.  The 
magnetic  variation  is  22°  4'  E.  A  reference  to  my  drift- 
table  shows  that  we  have  drifted  this  month  altogether 
ninety-two  and  one  half  miles,  and  have  made  good 
fifty  and  one  half  miles  to  N.  51°  E.  Of  all  months 
in  the  year  this  month  should  give  the  slackest  condi- 
tion of  the  ice,  and  yet  we  have  changed  our  position 
but  little. 

As  if  additional  evidence  that  summer  is  gone,  the 
aui'ora  made  its  first  reappearance  after  many  days. 
At  11.15  P.  M.  a,  faint,  tremulous  arch  oould  bi«  situ 
passing  from  east  through  the  zenilh  to  west,  and  at 
midnight  pul-  tting  curtain  patches  uu)ved  from  west  to 
«a»t,  at  an  altitude  of  about  20    ubovo  the  southern 


;    i 


440 


TJIE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  JEANNETTE. 


liorizon.  T!ie  moon,  Mercury,  Akicbaran,  aiirl  one  or 
two  other  stars  showed  in  the  heavens  after  eleven 
o'clock.  The  engineer's  force  shifted  about  eight  tons 
of  coal  from  the  starboard  to  the  port  side  of  the  bun- 
kers, in  anticipation  of  our  getting  afloat  and  needing 
"  straightening  up." 


f    i 


one  or 
eleven 
bt  tons 
e  bim- 
leeding 


■^ 


Track  chart  of  the  U.  S.  S.  JEANNETTE.  Lieut.-Comm.  GEORGE  W.  De  LONG,  from 

route  followed  by  the  officer's  and  crew  in  their  escape  ov 


;ORGE  W.  De  LONG,  from  San   Francisco,  up  to  the  sinking  of  the  ship;  together  with  the 

^s  and  crew  in  their  escape  over  the  ice  to  the  Siberian  coast, 

Madejrom  the  Government  Chart. 


